Body Position Influences Cardiovascular Disgust Reactivity

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Schienle ◽  
Sonja Übel ◽  
Andreas Rössler ◽  
Andreas Schwerdtfeger ◽  
Helmut Karl Lackner

It has been suggested that elevated trait disgust constitutes a vulnerability factor for fainting episodes. We tested the hypothesis that disgust-prone individuals are susceptible to vasovagal syncope by means of a tilt table experiment, during which 30 women were presented with disgusting pictures in a supine and a 70° upright position. The results showed that relative to disgust elicitation in the supine position, tilting reduced diastolic blood pressure during disgust elicitation, which could indicate increased risk for presyncope. Moreover, self-reported disgust proneness was positively correlated with heart rate during disgust induction in the tilted position. This association may point to a compensatory mechanism that aims at stabilizing mean arterial pressure. Disgust-prone individuals possibly utilized this mechanism more extensively to prevent fainting. Future investigations with a longer duration should follow up on this finding and compare the onset of presyncope between high and low disgust-prone individuals.

Entropy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 347
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Buszko ◽  
Agnieszka Piątkowska ◽  
Edward Koźluk ◽  
Tomasz Fabiszak ◽  
Grzegorz Opolski

The paper presents an application of Transfer Entropy (TE) to the analysis of information transfer between biosignals (heart rate expressed as R-R intervals (RRI), blood pressure (sBP, dBP) and stroke volume (SV)) measured during head up tilt testing (HUTT) in patients with suspected vasovagal syndrome. The study group comprised of 80 patients who were divided into two groups: the HUTT(+) group consisting of 57 patients who developed syncope during the passive phase of the test and HUTT(−) group consisting of 23 patients who had a negative result of the passive phase and experienced syncope after provocation with nitroglycerin. In both groups the information transfer depends on the phase of the tilt test. In supine position the highest transfer occurred between driver RRI and other components. In upright position it is the driver sBP that plays the crucial role. The pre-syncope phase features the highest information transfer from driver SV to blood pressure components. In each group the comparisons of TE between different phases of HUT test showed significant differences for RRI and SV as drivers.


Hypertension ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Chiriacò ◽  
Luca Sacchetta ◽  
Giovanna Forotti ◽  
Simone Leonetti ◽  
Lorenzo Nesti ◽  
...  

Background: Abnormal circadian blood pressure (BP) patterns and reduced heart rate variability (HRV) are established risk factors for cardiovascular events in diabetic patients. However, studies assessing all-cause mortality associated with altered BP patterns and HRV in diabetes are limited by follow-up periods of less than 10 years. Methods: We examined a cohort of 349 patients with type 2 diabetes ( n =284) or type 1 diabetes ( n =65) recruited in Pisa (Italy) from 1999 and followed-up for 21 years, all with available 24-hour ambulatory BP and HRV monitoring. Dipping, non-dipping and reverse dipping status were defined as a ≥10% decline, <10% decline, and ≥0.1% increase in average night-time systolic BP (SBP) compared with average daytime SBP, respectively. Results: After 6,251 person-years of follow-up (median follow-up 21.0 [14.0-21.0] years, 183 [52%] women, age 57.1±11.9 y, BMI 29.4±5.9 kg/m 2 , HbA1c 8.6±2.1%), a total of 136 (39%) deaths occurred. Compared with dippers (n=166), non-dippers (n=144) and reverse dippers (n=39) showed progressively higher prevalence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (11%, 16% and 31%, respectively), low HRV (45% vs 53% vs 62%), 24-hour hypertension (40%, 60% and 67%), isolated nocturnal hypertension (5%, 27% and 49%), postural hypotension (14%, 26% and 43%), and lower prevalence of white-coat hypertension (31%, 17% and 13%). Reverse dippers and non-dippers had progressively lower mean overall survival (OS) compared with dippers (16.1±5.3 years, 17.5±5.3 years and 18.6±4.6 years, respectively). Reverse dippers also showed an increased risk of all-cause mortality after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, office SBP, plasma glucose, and diabetes duration and type (HR 2.3 [1.4-3.8]). Patients with low HRV had reduced mean OS than those with high HRV (16.9±5.5 and 18.8±4.4, respectively) but similar adjusted risk (HR 1.3 [0.9-1.9]). No significant interactions emerged between BP patterns, HRV and diabetes type on OS. Conclusions: Non-dipping and reverse dipping BP patterns are associated with an increased prevalence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy and reduced survival probability in diabetic patients over a 21-year follow-up, with reverse dipping more than doubling the adjusted risk of all-cause mortality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Piotrowicz ◽  
P Orzechowski ◽  
I Kowalik ◽  
R Piotrowicz

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): National Health Fund Background. A novel comprehensive care program after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) „KOS-zawał" was implemented in Poland. It includes acute intervention, complex revascularization, implantation of cardiovascular electronic devices (in case of indications), rehabilitation or hybrid telerehabilitation (HTR) and scheduled outpatient follow-up. HTR is a unique component of this program. The purpose of the pilot study was to evaluate a feasibility, safety and patients’ acceptance of HTR as component of a novel care program after AMI and to assess mortality in a one-year follow-up. Methods The study included 55 patients (LVEF 55.6 ± 6.8%; aged 57.5 ± 10.5 years). Patients underwent a 5-week HTR based on Nordic walking, consisting of an initial stage (1 week) conducted within an outpatient center and a basic stage (4-week) home-based telerehabilitation five times weekly. HTR was telemonitored with a device adjusted to register electrocardiogram (ECG) recording and to transmit data via mobile phone network to the monitoring center. The moments of automatic ECG registration were pre-set and coordinated with exercise training. The influence on physical capacity was assessed by comparing changes in functional capacity (METs) from the beginning and the end of HTR. Patients filled in a questionnaire in order to assess their acceptance of HTR at the end of telerehabilitation. Results HTR resulted in a significant improvement in functional capacity and workload duration in exercise test (Table). Safety: there were neither deaths nor adverse events during HTR. Patients accepted HTR, including the need for interactive everyday collaboration with the monitoring center. Prognosis all patients survived in a one-year follow-up. Conclusions Hybrid telerehabilitation is a feasible, safe form of rehabilitation, well accepted by patients. There were no deaths in a one-year follow-up. Outcomes before and after HTR Before telerehabilitation After telerehabilitation P Exercise time [s] 381.5 ± 92.0 513.7 ± 120.2 &lt;0.001 Maximal workload [MET] 7.9 ± 1.8 10.1 ± 2.3 &lt;0.001 Heart rate rest [bpm] 68.6 ± 12.0 66.6 ± 10.9 0.123 Heart rate max effort [bpm] 119.7 ± 15.9 131.0 ± 20.1 &lt;0.001 SBP rest [mmHg] 115.6 ± 14.8 117.7 ± 13.8 0.295 DBP rest [mmHg] 74.3 ± 9.2 76.2 ± 7.3 0.079 SBP max effort [mm Hg] 159.5 ± 25.7 170.7 ± 25.5 0.003 DBP max effort [mm Hg] 84.5 ± 9.2 87.2 ± 9.3 0.043 SBP systolic blood pressure, DBP diastolic blood pressure.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1514
Author(s):  
Hilde Espnes ◽  
Jocasta Ball ◽  
Maja-Lisa Løchen ◽  
Tom Wilsgaard ◽  
Inger Njølstad ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to explore sex-specific associations between systolic blood pressure (SBP), hypertension, and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation (AF) subtypes, including paroxysmal, persistent, and permanent AF, in a general population. A total of 13,137 women and 11,667 men who participated in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study (1994–1995) were followed up for incident AF until the end of 2016. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted using fractional polynomials for SBP to provide sex- and AF-subtype-specific hazard ratios (HRs) for SBP. An SBP of 120 mmHg was used as the reference. Models were adjusted for other cardiovascular risk factors. Over a mean follow-up of 17.6 ± 6.6 years, incident AF occurred in 914 (7.0%) women (501 with paroxysmal/persistent AF and 413 with permanent AF) and 1104 (9.5%) men (606 with paroxysmal/persistent AF and 498 with permanent AF). In women, an SBP of 180 mmHg was associated with an HR of 2.10 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.60–2.76) for paroxysmal/persistent AF and an HR of 1.80 (95% CI 1.33–2.44) for permanent AF. In men, an SBP of 180 mmHg was associated with an HR of 1.90 (95% CI 1.46–2.46) for paroxysmal/persistent AF, while there was no association with the risk of permanent AF. In conclusion, increasing SBP was associated with an increased risk of both paroxysmal/persistent AF and permanent AF in women, but only paroxysmal/persistent AF in men. Our findings highlight the importance of sex-specific risk stratification and optimizing blood pressure management for the prevention of AF subtypes in clinical practice.


Open Heart ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e001425
Author(s):  
Marc Meller Søndergaard ◽  
Johannes Riis ◽  
Karoline Willum Bodker ◽  
Steen Møller Hansen ◽  
Jesper Nielsen ◽  
...  

AimLeft bundle branch block (LBBB) is associated with an increased risk of heart failure (HF). We assessed the impact of common ECG parameters on this association using large-scale data.Methods and resultsUsing ECGs recorded in a large primary care population from 2001 to 2011, we identified HF-naive patients with a first-time LBBB ECG. We obtained information on sex, age, emigration, medication, diseases and death from Danish registries. We investigated the association between the PR interval, QRS duration, and heart rate and the risk of HF over a 2-year follow-up period using Cox regression analysis.Of 2471 included patients with LBBB, 464 (18.8%) developed HF during follow-up. A significant interaction was found between QRS duration and heart rate (p<0.01), and the analyses were stratified on these parameters. Using a QRS duration <150 ms and a heart rate <70 beats per minute (bpm) as the reference, all groups were statistically significantly associated with the development of HF. Patients with a QRS duration ≥150 ms and heart rate ≥70 bpm had the highest risk of developing HF (HR 3.17 (95% CI 2.41 to 4.18, p<0.001). There was no association between the PR interval and HF after adjustment.ConclusionProlonged QRS duration and higher heart rate were associated with increased risk of HF among primary care patients with LBBB, while no association was observed with PR interval. Patients with LBBB with both a prolonged QRS duration (≥150 ms) and higher heart rate (≥70 bpm) have the highest risk of developing HF.


Author(s):  
Alex Buoite Stella ◽  
Giovanni Furlanis ◽  
Nicolò Arjuna Frezza ◽  
Romina Valentinotti ◽  
Milos Ajcevic ◽  
...  

AbstractThe autonomic nervous system (ANS) can be affected by COVID-19, and dysautonomia may be a possible complication in post-COVID individuals. Orthostatic hypotension (OH) and postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) have been suggested to be common after SARS-CoV-2 infection, but other components of ANS function may be also impaired. The Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale 31 (COMPASS-31) questionnaire is a simple and validated tool to assess dysautonomic symptoms. The aim of the present study was to administer the COMPASS-31 questionnaire to a sample of post-COVID patients with and without neurological complaints. Participants were recruited among the post-COVID ambulatory services for follow-up evaluation between 4 weeks and 9 months from COVID-19 symptoms onset. Participants were asked to complete the COMPASS-31 questionnaire referring to the period after COVID-19 disease. Heart rate and blood pressure were manually taken during an active stand test for OH and POTS diagnosis. One-hundred and eighty participants were included in the analysis (70.6% females, 51 ± 13 years), and OH was found in 13.8% of the subjects. Median COMPASS-31 score was 17.6 (6.9–31.4), with the most affected domains being orthostatic intolerance, sudomotor, gastrointestinal and pupillomotor dysfunction. A higher COMPASS-31 score was found in those with neurological symptoms (p < 0.01), due to more severe orthostatic intolerance symptoms (p < 0.01), although gastrointestinal (p < 0.01), urinary (p < 0.01), and pupillomotor (p < 0.01) domains were more represented in the non-neurological symptoms group. This study confirms the importance of monitoring ANS symptoms as a possible complication of COVID-19 disease that may persist in the post-acute period.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ke-Vin Chang ◽  
Wen-Shiang Chen ◽  
Ruey-Meei Wu ◽  
Ssu-Yuan Chen ◽  
Hsiu-Yu Shen ◽  
...  

The study aim was to assess sympathetic vasomotor response (SVR) by using pulsed wave Doppler (PWD) ultrasound in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and correlate with the tilt table study. We recruited 18 male patients and 10 healthy men as controls. The SVR of the radial artery was evaluated by PWD, using inspiratory cough as a provocative maneuver. The response to head-up tilt was studied by a tilt table with simultaneous heart rate and blood pressure recording. The hemodynamic variables were compared between groups, and were examined by correlation analysis. Regarding SVR, MSA patients exhibited a prolonged latency and less heart rate acceleration following inspiratory cough. Compared with the tilt table test, the elevation of heart rate upon SVR was positively correlated to the increase of heart rate after head-up tilt. The correlation analysis indicated that the magnitude of blood pressure drop from supine to upright was positively associated with the SVR latency but negatively correlated with the heart rate changes upon SVR. The present study demonstrated that blunted heart rate response might explain MSA's vulnerability to postural challenge. PWD may be used to predict cardiovascular response to orthostatic stress upon head-up tilt in MSA patients.


2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (8) ◽  
pp. H1238-H1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher E. Schwartz ◽  
Elisabeth Lambert ◽  
Marvin S. Medow ◽  
Julian M. Stewart

Withdrawal of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) may not be necessary for the precipitous fall of peripheral arterial resistance and arterial pressure (AP) during vasovagal syncope (VVS). We tested the hypothesis that the MSNA-AP baroreflex entrainment is disrupted before VVS regardless of MSNA withdrawal using the phase synchronization between blood pressure and MSNA during head-up tilt (HUT) to measure reflex coupling. We studied eight VVS subjects and eight healthy control subjects. Heart rate, AP, and MSNA were measured during supine baseline and at early, mid, late, and syncope stages of HUT. Phase synchronization indexes, measuring time-dependent differences between MSNA and AP phases, were computed. Directionality indexes, indicating the influence of AP on MSNA (neural arc) and MSNA on AP (peripheral arc), were computed. Heart rate was greater in VVS compared with control subjects during early, mid, and late stages of HUT and significantly declined at syncope ( P = 0.04). AP significantly decreased during mid, late, and syncope stages of tilt in VVS subjects only ( P = 0.001). MSNA was not significantly different between groups during HUT ( P = 0.700). However, the phase synchronization index significantly decreased during mid and late stages in VVS subjects but not in control subjects ( P < .001). In addition, the neural arc was significantly affected more than the peripheral arc before syncope. In conclusion, VVS is accompanied by a loss of the synchronous AP-MSNA relationship with or without a loss in MSNA at faint. This provides insight into the mechanisms behind the loss of vasoconstriction and drop in AP independent of MSNA at the time of vasovagal faint.


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