Effects of cigarette smoke on Holter ECG recordings in patients with arterial hypertension. Part 1: Time domain parameters of heart rate variability

• Evaluation of cigarette smoke effect on HRV in patients with AH.
• Active smoking cigarettes is independent risk factor for a decreased HRV.
• “Passive smoking” is independent risk factor for a decreased HRV.

This report was intended to evaluate the effect of cigarette smoke on heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with arterial hypertension (AH). 223 individuals were qalified to the studies. The following groups of patients not suffering from other disease which may affect HRV were delineated: 1 – patients with AH (n = 145); 2 – patients without AH (n = 48). In group 1 the following patient groups were studied: A – active smokers (n = 42), B – non-smokers exposed to cigarette smoke (n = 30), C – non-smokers not exposed to tobacco smoke (n = 34), D – former smokers (n = 26). A time domain HRV analysis was carried out. Group 1 versus group 2 manifested significantly lower mean values of most parameters in the HRV time domain analysis. Subgroups A, B and D versus subgroup C also exhibited significantly lower mean values of most parameters in the HRV time domain analysis. Active cigarette smoking and passive exposure to tobacco smoke represented independent risk factors for a decreased HRV. Conclusions: Active and passive exposure to cigarette smoke decreases HRV in hypertensive patients.