Table 8.

HRV measures and arterial stiffness parameters

Author (s)	Years	Parameters involved		Experiment Protocol		Association between HRV measure and arterial stiffness parameter	Other findings
		Quantitative HRV measure	Arterial stiffness	Quantitative HRV measure	Arterial stiffness
Kosch et al. [35]	1999	LF, HF, LF/HF ratio, TP	Brachial and carotid artery DC	30 min recording of ECG and respiration in the supine position (8 am–10am) Spontaneous breathing	Vessel distensibility was measured by: 1. Relative systolic increase of vessel diameter: ratio between systolic increase of vessel diameter (Δd) and end diastolic diameter (d) (%); and 2. Arterial wall distensibility coefficient: (2 × Δd x d−1)/(SBP–DBP)	No separate association analysis was reported between the two study groups Significant negative correlation between carotid artery distensibility coefficient (DC) (not brachial artery) and LF/HF ratio in all subjects	Significant reduction in HRV (TP), carotid and brachial artery distensibility, as well as an increase in HRV (LF/HF) ratio, with a reduction in HF power (%) in hypertensive patients as compared to normotensive subjects
Novakova et al. [40]	2005	spectral power density at 0.1 Hz, SD	Carotid IMT	Continuous measurements of RRI, beat-to-beat SBP and DBP in the sitting position at rest during a 5 min period metronome-controlled breathing 0.33 Hz	B-mode ultrasonography was performed in the supine position on both the right and left common carotid artery Average carotid IMT was determined from 5 measurements	No specific analysis on the association between HRV measure and carotid IMT was reported	Greater IMT and decreased short-term variability in RR-intervals (absolute unit) at 0.1 Hz in hypertensive patients compared to normotensive subjects (both measurements in a period of 1 year, 2004–2005)
Labrova et al. [41]	2005	spectral power density at 0.1 Hz, SD	Carotid IMT	Continuous measurements of RRI, beat-to-beat SBP and DBP in the sitting position at rest during a 5 min period metronome-controlled breathing 0.33 Hz	B-mode ultrasonography was performed in the supine position on both the right and left common carotid artery Average carotid IMT was determined from 5 measurements	Significant negative correlation between carotid IMT and HRV SD in all subjects	Greater IMT, decreased short-term variability in RRI (SD and 0.1 Hz power) in hypertensive patients compared to normotensive subjects

abs absolute unit, DBP diastolic blood pressure, DC distensibility coefficient, HF spectral power at high-frequency band, HR heart rate, HRV heart rate variability, IMT intima–media thickness, LF spectral power at low-frequency band, rel relative unit, RRI RR-intervals, SBP systolic blood pressure, SD standard deviation, TP total power