LINKING ECG HEART RATE VARIABILITY TO CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE SEVERITY AND CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS IN ATHLETES WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between ECG-derived heart rate variability (HRV) and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as the incidence of cardiovascular events in athletes diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods: This study analyzed 123 patients diagnosed with CAD from January 2020 to January 2022, who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) at our institution. Participants were stratified based on their Gensini scores into mild (28 cases, score < 5), intermediate (49 cases, score 5-10), and severe (23 cases, score > 10) CAD. Cardiovascular events during the study period were also recorded, with participants divided into two groups: those experiencing events (11 cases) and those without events (89 cases). A control group of 50 healthy athletes who underwent physical assessments during the same period was included for comparison. HRV metrics such as SDNN, SDANN, RMSSD, TF, LF, and HF were measured and statistically analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients to examine the association between HRV indices and CAD severity and cardiovascular events. Results: HRV indices were significantly lower in the CAD group compared to the control group (P<0.05). There was a clear negative correlation between CAD severity and HRV indices (P<0.05), indicating that more severe CAD was associated with lower HRV. Furthermore, athletes with cardiovascular events demonstrated significantly reduced HRV compared to those without events (P<0.05). Conclusion: ECG HRV is a valuable tool for monitoring athletes with CHD, with lower HRV indices correlating with higher severity of CAD and an increased risk of cardiovascular events. These findings suggest that regular HRV monitoring could enhance the early detection and management of CAD in athletes, potentially guiding preventive and therapeutic strategies to improve cardiovascular outcomes in this population.