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The effect of varenicline on heart rate variability in healthy smokers and nonsmokers
Autonomic Neuroscience, 09/09/2011
Clinical Article
Ari H et al. – A single dose of varenicline does not affect heart rate variability(HRV) in healthy smokers but that it may alter HRV when administered at a therapeutic dose to healthy non–smokers during mild sympathetic stimulation.
Methods- Thirty subjects were included in the randomized, double–blind, placebo–controlled, crossover study.
- Varenicline or placebo was administered in two different testing sessions.
- Time domain parameters and power spectral analysis of HRV were assessed in the supine position and during handgrip exercise before and after the participants were given placebo or varenicline.
- Fifteen healthy non–smokers (NS) and fifteen healthy smokers (S) were included in the study.
- There were no statistically significant differences among any of the time domain parameters obtained before and after placebo administration or between the S and NS groups with respect to varenicline administration.
- In frequency domain analyses, normalized HF (high–frequency) powers were significantly higher in the S group than in the NS group (before placebo, NS:6.57±3.58 vs. S:13.85±7.50, p=0.002, after placebo, NS:6.33±3.89 vs. S:10.82±4.88, p=0.007).
- After varenicline administration, the normalized HF power was significantly higher (NS:6.65±4.34 vs. S:11.06±4.52, p=0.01), and the ratio of LF (low–frequency) to HF was significantly lower (NS:8.44±5.89 vs. S:4.97±4.60, p=0.02) in the S group than in the NS group.
- Administration of a single dose of varenicline significantly increased the LF/HF ratio (5.83±2.69 vs. 8.44±5.89) in the NS group, but in the S group, there were no significant differences related to any of the time or frequency domain parameters.