Autonomic modulation following exercise is impaired in HIV patients.

UNLABELLED

The autonomic modulation in HIV patients undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was investigated. The heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed in 13 HIV patients (43±2 years) and 10 healthy controls (31±5 years) at rest, during exercise, and recovery. All time (standard deviation of NN intervals, SDNN; root mean of squared sum of successive differences, rMSSD; relative number of pairs of adjacent RR intervals differing more than 50 ms, pNN50) and frequency (Low Frequency, LF; High Frequency, HF) HRV components were lower in HIV patients at rest [SDNN (HIV: 44.2±3.9 ms vs.

CONTROL

65.5±9.8 ms; P=0.04); rMSSD (HIV: 27.2±3.6 ms vs.

CONTROL

49.3±8.3 ms; P=0.02); pNN50 (HIV: 8.8±2.9% vs.

CONTROL

26.5±7.0%; P=0.02); LF (HIV: 502.4±80.5 ms2 vs.

CONTROL

1302.8±446.4 ms2; P=0.04); HF (HIV: 296.4 ± 62.3 ms2 vs.

CONTROL

986.3±280.6 ms2; P=0.01)] and post-exercise [SDNN (HIV: 32.3±3.5 ms vs.

CONTROL

55.8±5.9 ms; P=0.002); rMSSD (HIV: 17.4±3.1 ms vs.

CONTROL

36.6±4.6 ms; P=0.002); pNN50 (HIV: 2.9±1.2% vs.

CONTROL

14.7±3.4%; P=0.001); LF (HIV: 404.9±102.6 ms2 vs.

CONTROL

910.1±214.2 ms2; P=0.03); HF (HIV: 147.6 ± 40.1 ms vs.

CONTROL

554.5±135.0 ms2; P=0.004)]. No between-group differences were found during exercise (P>0.05 for all comparisons). In conclusion, HIV patients showed impaired autonomic modulation, with reduced parasympathetic activity at rest and during post-exercise recovery.