Chronotropic Response and Heart Rate Variability before and after a 160 m Walking Test in Young, Middle-Aged, Frail, and Non-Frail Older Adults

Lesli Álvarez-Millán, Claudia Lerma, Daniel Castillo-Castillo, Rosa M. Quispe-Siccha, Argelia Pérez-Pacheco, Jesús Rivera-Sánchez and Ruben Fossion
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Lesli Álvarez-Millán: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Claudia Lerma: Departamento de Instrumentación Electromecánica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
Daniel Castillo-Castillo: Servicio de Geriatría, Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
Rosa M. Quispe-Siccha: Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
Argelia Pérez-Pacheco: Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
Jesús Rivera-Sánchez: Unidad de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
Ruben Fossion: Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad (C3), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City 04510, Mexico

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: The frailty syndrome is characterized by a decreased capacity to adequately respond to stressors. One of the most impaired physiological systems is the autonomous nervous system, which can be assessed through heart rate (HR) variability (HRV) analysis. In this article, we studied the chronotropic response (HR and HRV) to a walking test. We also analyzed HRV indices in rest as potential biomarkers of frailty. For this, a 160 m-walking test and two standing rest tests (before and after the walking) were performed by young (19–29 years old, n = 21, 57% women), middle-aged (30–59 years old, n = 16, 62% women), and frail older adults (>60 years old, n = 28, 40% women) and non-frail older adults (>60 years old, n = 15, 71% women), classified with the FRAIL scale and the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Frequency domain parameters better allowed to distinguish between frail and non-frail older adults (low-frequency power LF, high-frequency power HF (nu), LF/HF ratio, and ECG-derived respiration rate EDR). Frail older adults showed an increased HF (nu) and EDR and a reduced LF (nu) and LF/HF compared to non-frail older adults. The increase in HF (nu) could be due to a higher breathing effort. Our results showed that a walk of 160 m is a sufficient cardiovascular stressor to exhibit an attenuated autonomic response in frail older adults. Several HRV indices showed to be potential biomarkers of frailty, being LF (nu) and the time required to reach the maximum HR the best candidates.

Keywords: early biomarkers; stimulus-response paradigm; orthostatic stressor; heart rate dynamics; autonomic response (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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