Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) ranks as the second leading cause of mortality in India and is linked with cardiovascular dysautonomia. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a common non-invasive method used to assess cardiac autonomic nervous activity. This study aimed to evaluate and compare HRV in COPD patients with healthy control subjects matched for age and sex. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching institute in India. A total of 78 individuals participated, including 39 COPD patients and 39 healthy age- and sex-matched individuals in the control group. The unpaired Student t-test was utilized for statistical analysis. Results: The study found non-significant differences in mean height, age, weight, body mass index, and heart rate between the COPD group and the control group. However, there was a statistically significant difference in mean RR interval, with COPD patients exhibiting lower values compared to healthy subjects. Measures of HRV, including RMSSD and SDNN, were notably lower in COPD patients compared to controls. Moreover, significant differences were observed in pNN50 and NN50 between the two groups. The COPD group showed higher mean LF nu, lower mean HF nu, and a higher mean LF/HF ratio compared to controls. Conclusion: The study concluded that COPD patients exhibit sympathetic hyperactivity and reduced parasympathetic activity compared to healthy individuals, which is statistically significant. This underscores the importance of utilizing non-invasive methods like HRV analysis for screening autonomic function status in COPD patients.

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