Reduced heart-rate variability was linked to faster progression and shorter survival in ALS
Original source
Cardiac autonomic dysfunction is associated with advanced stage, fast progression and poor survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Studied in
- Human
Population inferred from the title and abstract by Compass.
A study of 95 people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) found that reduced heart-rate variability at diagnosis was associated with advanced disease stage, faster progression and poorer survival. The researchers used 24-hour heart monitoring and found that lower SDNN, a measure of heart-rate variability, was associated with shorter survival during a median follow-up of 21.5 months.
Why this matters
These findings suggest that heart-rate variability measurements may help identify people with more advanced or rapidly progressing ALS at diagnosis. This was an observational study, so it does not show that reduced heart-rate variability causes faster progression or that changing it would improve survival or treatment.
Limitations and context
The study included 95 people with ALS and 39 controls, and it was observational. The findings show an association, not causation, and need confirmation in larger and independent studies before SDNN can be used routinely for prognosis or clinical decisions.