Circadian periodicity in human heart rate daily variability disorders: subsequent demonstrations through a chronobiological approach to the values of estimated alpha exponent on sinusal R-R intervals
Cugini, P.; Cammarota, C.; Curione, M.; Cipriani, D.; De Rosa, R.; Francia, P.; De Marco, E.
La Clinica Terapeutica 152(1): 15-19
2001
ISSN/ISBN: 0009-9074 PMID: 11382163 Document Number: 527893
The present study is aimed at giving a further demonstration that the disorder in human heart rate variability is characterized by a circadian periodicity. Such an evidence has been provided by estimating the alpha exponent of the Lévy's stable distribution approximated to the histogram of the differences between the durations of two adjacent sinusal R-R intervals. The purpose has been pursued by estimating the alpha exponent on fragments of one hour of the Holter electrocardiogram executed in 10 clinically healthy subjects (5 males and 5 females, ranging in age from 23 to 30 years). The chronobiological analysis of the hourly-qualified values of the alpha exponent has demonstrated a significant circadian rhythm for this coefficient. The significant circadian periodicity of the alpha exponent is a further evidence that the disorder in human heart rate variability, herein represented by the extreme variability of the differences between the durations of two consecutive sinusal R-R intervals, is characterized by a periodic recursivity.