Relationship between heart rate variability and hypercholesterolaemia.

A statistically significant correlation between chronic (tonic) distress (expressed by long-term depression of heart rate variability-HRV) and the increase of the serum lipid level was found in the experimental group (39 clinically healthy subjects with hypercholesterolaemia; 16 women and 23 men; mean age 42.4 +/- 2.45 years). A statistically significant relationship was found also between the experimental and control group (39 healthy normocholesterolaemic subjects; 18 women and 21 men; mean age 43.7 +/- 2.18 years) when comparing distress indicating HRV-based measurements. Significant predictors of HRV depression were: total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The effect of a 3-month special diet served to 17 subjects selected from the experimental group led to a decrease of serum lipids but did not influence substantially HRV parameters. It can be concluded that HRV parameters reflecting stress reaction correlate with atherogenic serum lipids; their separate follow-up (which is quicker, easier and cheaper) can be used for prediction of cardiovascular health risk and probably for disorders in serum lipid metabolism.