Abstract
Objective To analyze the relation between smoking and passive smoking with heart rate variability parameters in male adolescents.Methods The sample consisted of 1,152 males, aged 14 and 19 years. Data related to smoking and passive smoking were collected using a questionnaire. RR intervals were obtained by a heart rate monitor, on supine position, for 10 minutes. After collecting the RR intervals, time (standard deviation of all RR intervals, root mean square of the squared differences between adjacent normal RR intervals and the percentage of adjacent intervals over 50ms) and frequency domains (low and high frequency and sympathovagal balance) parameters of heart rate variability were obtained.Results No significant differences between smoker and nonsmoker adolescents were observed in heart rate variability parameters (p>0.05). Similarly, heart rate variability parameters did not show significant difference between exposed and not exposed to passive smoking (p>0.05).Conclusion Cigarette smoking and passive smoking are not related to heart rate variability in adolescence.
Highlights
Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive measurement method based on the analysis of the variation in time of successive heart beats (RR intervals) designed to evaluate the integrity of the autonomic nervous system.[1]
It is interesting that the only three studies that evaluated the effects of smoking on HRV in adolescents obtaining inconclusive results due to both the limited sample size[14,15] and design.[15,16] another important gap in these analyses has been the association between passive smoking and HRV considering that, just like smoking, passive smoking affects the health of children and adolescents, and strongly influences the development of cardiovascular diseases later in the life.[17,18]
Considering that smoking is a risk behavior seen in 3% to 15.8%(19) of Brazilian adolescents, especially in the male population, studies aiming to evaluate the effects of both smoking and passive smoking on the HRV of adolescents need to be based on more representative samples in order to provide the subsidy needed to design health promotion policies aimed at this age group
Summary
Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive measurement method based on the analysis of the variation in time of successive heart beats (RR intervals) designed to evaluate the integrity of the autonomic nervous system.[1]. Studies with adolescents failed to confirm an association between smoking and high blood pressure.[11,12,13] it is possible that this risk behavior affects HRV, triggering the development of hypertension in adults. It is interesting that the only three studies that evaluated the effects of smoking on HRV in adolescents obtaining inconclusive results due to both the limited sample size[14,15] and design.[15,16] another important gap in these analyses has been the association between passive smoking and HRV considering that, just like smoking, passive smoking affects the health of children and adolescents, and strongly influences the development of cardiovascular diseases later in the life.[17,18].
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