HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN DEPRESSED PATIENTS

Objective: There are conflicting results on the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and major depression. There is some research reporting decreased heart rate variability in depressed patients, which may result in increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. This study aims to investigate the HRV in a group of physically healthy depressed patients in comparison to healthy subjects.

Method: Twenty-one depressed subjects were compared to same number of healthy controls on the measures of HRV as measured by Kardiosis DL 700 Digital tree channel recorder Holter monitors. The study group was also assessed with Hamilton anxiety and depression scales. The HRV measures were compared in between the two groups and correlations between levels of anxiety and depression with HRV measures were sought for.

Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the study and control groups on the measures of HRV. No significant relationship between the levels of anxiety and depression and HRV measures were found.

Conclusions: In physically healthy depressed adults HRV does not differ from healthy subjects. This means that depression does not pose an additional risk factor for cardiovascular disease in physically healthy adults. This finding gives support to some previous research which did not find any relationship between depression and heart rate variability.