STUDY OF HEART RATE VARIABILITY INDICES IN CHILDREN WITH JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS

Summary: Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive electrocardiographic marker that reflects the activity of the sympathetic and vagal components of the autonomic nervous system of the sinoatrial node of the heart [1]. Low heart rate variability indicates a reduction in parasympathetic cardiac function, predicting the risk of mortality after myocardial infarction and, therefore, may contribute to an increased cardiovascular risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Studies to date have shown that heart rate variability is low in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared to healthy controls, although the mechanisms are not fully elucidated. Purpose: To study the indices of heart rate variability in idiopathic juvenile arthritis depending on the activity of the disease, the duration of the disease and the evolutionary variant. Material and methods: HRV was performed in 45 children with juvenile idhiopatic arthritis (JIA). HRV indices were correlated with disease activity, homocysteine level and lipid profile (cholesterol, triglycerides) and treatment. Results: Following the comparative analysis, a positive correlation was found between PNN50 and the parameters for assessing inflammation, homocysteine, triglycerides, DAS-28 and treatment with corticosteroids and MTX. Conclusion: The study found an inverse relationship between HRV indices with inflammatory markers, homocysteine, DAS 28 and treatment.