Authors : Shilpa Khullar, Praveena Sinha, Mitasha Singh, Diksha
DOI : 10.18231/j.ijcap.2019.047
Volume : 6
Issue : 2
Year : 2019
Page No : 209-215
Introduction: Heart Rate Variability is a common non – invasive technique with significant diagnostic, clinical and research application. Obesity is seen to be associated with autonomic dysfunction with increased sympathetic activity and decreased parasympathetic activity in young people predisposing them to increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. The aim of our study was to see how obesity effects cardiac autonomic activity in normal weight and obese individuals.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 60 young individuals between 18-25 years divided into two groups of 30 each based on their BMI: Group I – Normal weight group with BMI – 18-22.9 Kg/ m2 and Group II – Obese subjects with BMI ? 25 Kg/m2. HRV was done in both the groups and was analyzed for time domain and frequency domain parameters. The data was analyzed by using students ‘t test’ and Chi-square test. Correlation was done between various anthropometric measures and HRV using Pearson’s correlation coefficient.
Results: With the exception of height and neck circumference, all the anthropometric parameters were significantly higher in Group II compared to Group I While analyzing HRV for frequency domain parameters, LF (nu) and LF/HF were significantly lower in Group I compare to Group II. Time domain parameters of SDNN, RMSSD and pNN50 were significantly higher in Group 1.
Conclusion: Our study showed a statistically significant reduction in parasympathetic activity and an increase in sympathetic activity in the obese compared to controls.
Keywords: Heart rate variability, Cardiac autonomic activity, Anthropometric parameters, Autonomic modulation, BMI.