Researchers studied the relationship between depressiveness as measured by the Patient-Health-Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and factors related to heart rate variability (HRV) from 24h-Holter ECG recording in the MyoVasc study. HRV parameters related to PHQ-9 were determined through elastic net regression. Multivariable linear regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, established cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidities, medication, and NTpro-BNP were also conducted. In the analysis sample (N=1,001), 29.8% had mild depressive symptoms and 10.2% had major depressive symptoms. The severity of depression according to PHQ-9 sum scores correlated with triangular index (HRVi; P=.01) and cognitive dimension of depression correlated with triangular index in subjects with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (P=.03). Somatic dimension of depression correlated with acceleration capacity in HF with preserved ejection fraction (P=.04). HRV parameters were regularly more reduced in individuals with more depressive symptoms. “Interestingly, HRV parameters differ regarding the cognitive and somatic dimension of depression in individuals with HF,” says the research team.
