Reduced Heart Rate Variability in Patients With Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms: A Meta-Analysis of HF-HRV and RMSSD

Objective Medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) and related syndromes are common and place a substantial burden on both patients and society. Chronic psychological distress and dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system may be common factors associated with MUPS, although previous studies have reported mixed results. The aims of this meta-analysis are to provide an updated synthesis of studies investigating heart rate variability (HRV) indices associated with autonomic nervous system functioning in three common MUPS syndromes and to explain inconsistencies in previous study findings. Methods Literature search yielded 58 studies comparing HRV indices of reduced parasympathetic activity of healthy individuals with those of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (npatients = 271), irritable bowel syndrome (npatients = 1005), and fibromyalgia (npatients = 534). Separate random-effects meta-analyses were conducted on studies measuring root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) and high-frequency HRV (HF-HRV). Results Regardless of syndrome type, patients had significantly lower RMSSD (k = 22, Hedges g = −0.37 [−0.53 to −0.21], p
Source: Psychosomatic Medicine - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Tags: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW/META-ANALYSIS Source Type: research