Linear and non-linear analysis of heart rate variability in HIV-positive patients on two different antiretroviral therapy regimens

Background: Cardiac autonomic dysfunction in HIV+ patients on different antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens has been described. We aimed to characterize parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) and correlate with different classes of ART in HIV+ patients in three experimental conditions: rest, cold face, and tilt tests.

Methods: Cross-sectional study with three groups of age- and gender-matched individuals: group 1, 44 HIV+ patients undergoing combination therapy, with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) and one non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI); group 2, 42 HIV+ patients using two NRTI and protease inhibitors (PI's); and group 3, 35 healthy volunteers with negative HIV serology (control group). Autonomic function at rest and during cold face- and tilt-tests was assessed through computerized analysis of HRV, via quantification of time- and frequency domains by linear and non-linear parameters in the three groups.

Results: Anthropometric and clinical parameters were similar between both HIV groups, except CD4+ T lymphocytes, which were significantly lower in group 2 (p = 0.039). At baseline, time-domain linear HRV parameters, RMSSD and pNN50, and the correlation dimension, a non-linear HRV parameter (p < 0.001; p = 0.018; p = 0.019, respectively), as well as response of RMSSD to cold face test were also lower in the HIV+ group than in the control individuals (p < 0.001), while no differences among groups were detected in HRV parameters during the tilt test.

Conclusions: Despite ART regimens, HIV+ patients presented lower cardiac vagal modulation than controls, whereas no difference was observed among the HIV groups, suggesting that higher cardiovascular risk linked to PIs may be associated with factors other than autonomic dysfunction.