Sex differences in heart rate responses to postural provocations.

ABSTRACT: Sex differences are known in several facets of cardiac electrophysiology, mostly concerning myocardial repolarisation. In this study, heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) responses to postural provocations were compared in 175 and 176 healthy females and males, respectively (aged 33.1?±?9.1 years). Two different postural provocative tests with position changes supine?sitting?standing?supine and supine?standing?sitting?supine (15-min standing, 10-min other positions) were performed up to 4 times in each subject. Heart rate and heart rate variability spectral indices were measured in 5-min windows before positional changes. At supine position, females had averaged heart rate approximately 5 beats per minute (bpm) faster than males and this sex difference was practically constant during the postural changes. In both sexes, change supine?sitting and supine?standing increased heart rate by approximately 10 and 30 bpm, respectively, with no statistical differences between the sex groups. At supine baseline, females had normalised high frequency components (nHF) of HRV approximately 7% larger compared to males (p?

SUBMITTER: Hnatkova K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6926477 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature