Revealing alterations in heart rate fluctuations during the progression of Chagas disease

Abstract

Introduction: The heart rate variability (HRV) continually evolves throughout life,reflecting modifications in the architecture of the sinoatrial node (SAN) and inthe regulation of heart rate by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Both canbe considerably aected by Chagas disease, causing important changes in thecomplex nature of HRV. We aim to evaluate the ability of an index based on thefalse nearest neighbors method (FN10) to reflect these changes during diseaseprogression.Methods: We perform a retrospective, descriptive, and cross-sectional studyanalyzing HRV time series of participants with Chagas disease. We determine thedependence of FN10 on age and sex in a healthy population, and then evaluateFN10 in individuals with Chagas disease.Results and discussion: In the healthy population, FN10 has a scaling behaviorwith age, which is independent of sex. In Chagas disease, some individualsshow FN10 values significantly above those seen in the healthy population. Werelate the findings to the pathophysiological mechanisms that determine theprogression of the disease. The results indicate that FN10 may be a candidateprognostic biomarker for heart disease