AUTHOR=Hägglund Harriet , Uusitalo Arja , Peltonen Juha E., Koponen Anne S., Aho Jyrki , Tiinanen Suvi , Seppänen Tapio , Tulppo Mikko , Tikkanen Heikki O. TITLE=Cardiovascular Autonomic Nervous System Function and Aerobic Capacity in Type 1 Diabetes JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology VOLUME=3 YEAR=2012 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2012.00356 DOI=10.3389/fphys.2012.00356 ISSN=1664-042X ABSTRACT=

Impaired cardiovascular autonomic nervous system (ANS) function has been reported in type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients. ANS function, evaluated by heart rate variability (HRV), systolic blood pressure variability (SBPV), and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), has been linked to aerobic capacity (VO2peak) in healthy subjects, but this relationship is unknown in T1D. We examined cardiovascular ANS function at rest and during function tests, and its relations to VO2peak in T1D individuals. Ten T1D patients (34 ± 7 years) and 11 healthy control (CON; 31 ± 6 years) age and leisure-time physical activity-matched men were studied. ANS function was recorded at rest and during active standing and handgrip. Determination of VO2peak was obtained with a graded cycle ergometer test. During ANS recordings SBPV, BRS, and resting HRV did not differ between groups, but alpha1 responses to maneuvers in detrended fluctuation analyses were smaller in T1D (active standing; 32%, handgrip; 20%, medians) than in CON (active standing; 71%, handgrip; 54%, p < 0.05). VO2peak was lower in T1D (36 ± 4 ml kg−1 min−1) than in CON (45 ± 9 ml kg−1 min−1, p < 0.05). Resting HRV measures, RMSSD, HF, and SD1 correlated with VO2peak in CON (p < 0.05) and when analyzing groups together. These results suggest that T1D had lower VO2peak, weaker HRV response to maneuvers, but not impaired cardiovascular ANS function at rest compared with CON. Resting parasympathetic cardiac activity correlated with VO2peak in CON but not in T1D. Detrended fluctuation analysis could be a sensitive detector of changes in cardiac ANS function in T1D.