Comprehensive viewpoints on heart rate variability at high altitude

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Hypoxia is a physiological state characterized by reduced oxygen levels in organs and tissues. It is a common clinicopathological process and a major cause of health problems in highland areas.  Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of the balance in autonomic innervation to the heart. It provides valuable information on the regulation of the cardiovascular system by neurohumoral factors, and changes in HRV reflect the complex interactions between multiple systems. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the relationship between high-altitude hypoxia and HRV. We summarize the different mechanisms of diseases caused by hypoxia and explore the changes in HRV across various systems. Additionally, we discuss relevant pharmaceutical interventions. Overall, this review aims to provide research ideas and assistance for in-depth studies on HRV. By understanding the intricate relationship between high-altitude hypoxia and HRV, we can gain insights into the underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic approaches to mitigate the effects of hypoxia on cardiovascular and other systems.

Methods

The relevant literature was collected systematically from scientific database, including PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Baidu Scholar, as well as other literature sources, such as classic books of hypoxia.

Results

There is a close relationship between heart rate variability and high-altitude hypoxia. Heart rate variability is an indicator that evaluates the impact of hypoxia on the cardiovascular system and other related systems. By improving the observation of HRV, we can estimate the progress of cardiovascular diseases and predict the impact on other systems related to cardiovascular health. At the same time, changes in heart rate variability can be used to observe the efficacy of preventive drugs for altitude related diseases.

Conclusions

HRV can be used to assess autonomic nervous function under various systemic conditions, and can be used to predict and monitor diseases caused by hypoxia at high altitude. Investigating the correlation between high altitude hypoxia and heart rate variability can help make HRV more rapid, accurate, and effective for the diagnosis of plateau-related diseases.

KEYWORDS:

• Plateau
• hypoxia
• heart rate variability
• cardiovascular autonomic function monitoring
• drugs

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81970241 to Haifeng Pei; 81900339 to Jun Hou), Key Projects of Hospital Management of the General Hospital of the Western Theater Command of PLA (2021-XZYG-A03 to Haifeng Pei), Tianfu Qingcheng Project-Tianfu Science and Technology Elite (No.1358 to Haifeng Pei), The General Hospital of Western Theater Command-Spark Young Innovative Talents (to HaifengPei), The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2682022TPY052 to Jun Hou), Chengdu Medical Research Project(2022138 to Jun Hou), Key Research and Development Program of Science and Technology of Tibet Province (XZ202201ZR0036G to Jun Hou) and Chengdu High-level Key Clinical Specialty Construction Project.