Heart rate recovery time in metabolically healthy and metabolically unhealthy obese children

ABSTRACT

Background: Autonomic dysfunction is an emerging non-traditional cardiovascular risk factor that correlates with obesity, components of metabolic syndrome, as well as cardiorespiratory fitness. As a simple and validated index of autonomic balance, heart rate recovery (HRR) has been reported as a useful biomarker for predicting cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare HRR in metabolically healthy vs. metabolically unhealthy obese children.

Methods: A total of 56 obese children of whom 31 had metabolic syndrome were examined. All the participants underwent the multistage submaximal cycle ergometer test and HRR was determined one minute after the test.

Results: The HRR was significantly lower (18.9 ± 3.7) in a group of metabolically unhealthy obese children compared to metabolically healthy obese children (24 ± 4.1) p < 0.001. Logistic regression analysis showed that reduction in HRR was also influenced by higher BMI.

Conclusion: Our findings implicate the presence of the autonomic dysfunction as reflected by impaired heart rate recovery (HRR) in obese children with metabolic syndrome.

KEYWORDS:

• Heart rate recovery
• obese children
• metabolic syndrome

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant no. 14 of the internal projects of Medical faculty, University of Nis, Republic of Serbia.