A Heart Rate Turbulence Study to Assess Cardiac Autonomic Function in Migraineurs

Klíčová slova kardiální autonomní funkce – turbulence srdeční frekvence – migréna Abstract Studies of autonomic nervous system function in patients with migraine have shown conflicting results. Heart rate turbulence (HRT) is a new method to assess cardiac autonomic function. HRT impairment reflects cardiac autonomic dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to determine validation of HRT as an autonomic function test in patients with migraine in comparison with the normal population. Forty-four patients with migraine and fifty healthy subjects were included to the study. Twenty-four hours ambulatory electrocardiograms were recorded. HRT parameters, turbulence onset (TO) and turbulence slope (TS) were calculated. In 16 migraineurs and 22 control subjects we were not able to calculate HRT because HRT calculation is impossible in subjects who do not have any ventricular premature beat (VPB) in their Holter recordings. These subjects were excluded from statistical analyses. HRT were calculated in 28 migraineurs (mean age 47.4 ± 10.1 years, 20 women) and 28 control subjects (mean age 47.5 ± 11.6 years, 20 women). There were no significant differences in two HRT parameters; TO and TS between migraineurs and control subjects (TO migraineur: –0.65 ± 3.84%, TO control: –0.61 ± 4.42%, p = 0.38; TS migraineur: 9.34 ± 7.50 ms/RR, TS control: 8.82 ± 6.34 ms/RR, p = 0.40, respectively). HRT parameters, which determine the cardiac autonomic dysfunction, did not seem to be altered in patients with migraine.