A crosscorrelation analysis of fluctuations in heart rate and breathing when diagnosing the autonomic disorders in patients with hypotonic type of functional dysphonia

Abstract

To conduct a cross-correlation analysis of the frequency of breathing and heart rhythm variability (HRV) in the diagnosis of autonomic disorders in patients with hypotonic type of functional dysphonia. Twenty-eight women, aged between 21 and 63 years, with hypotonic type of functional dysphonia were examined. The examination of patients included an analysis of anamnesis, an objective ENT study by common methods, videostroboscopy of the larynx, and determination of the functional state of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). It was shown that in such patients, HRV contains alternating RR-intervals, which reduce the correlation coefficient between breathing fluctuations and sinus respiratory arrhythmia. In the majority of patients, ANS dysfunction is detected in the form of insufficient autonomic activity support, while the correlation coefficients (Rc) provide additional information about the autonomic tone. At high values of the correlation coefficient, the autonomic tone is optimal or reduced, at low values (below 0,5) it is optimal or elevated. At the same time, the correlation coefficient, which tends to zero at normal indicators of the total HRV power, indicates the state of ANS tension, which is associated with increased autonomic tone and can be one of the causes of sinus respiratory arrhythmia. The crosscorrelation analysis of HRV and breathing in patients with hypotonic type of functional dysphonia is one of the quantitative methods of the diagnosis of vegetative dystonia.