Journal
PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
Volume 81, Issue 1, Pages 57-62Publisher
SPRINGERNATURE
DOI: 10.1038/pr.2016.173
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [PO1HD0474584]
- General Clinical Research Center of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center [MO1 RR07122]
- Intramural Research Support Committee of Wake Forest Medical School
- Brenner Center for Child and Adolescent Health
Ask authors/readers for more resources
BACKGROUND: Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) suggests autonomic imbalance in the control of heart rate and is associated with unfavorable cardiometabolic outcomes. We examined whether antenatal corticosteroid (ANCS) exposure had long-term programming effects on HRV in adolescents born with very low birth weight (VLBW). METHODS: Follow-up study of a cohort of VLBW 14-y olds born between 1992 and 1996 with 50% exposed to ANCS. HRV in both the time and frequency domains using Nevrokard Software was determined from a 5-min electrocardiogram tracing. RESULTS: HRV data from 89 (35 male, 53 non-black) exposed (ANCS+) and 77 (28 male, 29 non-black) unexposed (ANCS-) adolescents were analyzed. HRV did not differ between ANCS+ and ANCS- black participants. However, in non-black participants, a significant interaction between ANCS and sex was observed, with ANCS- females having significantly greater HRV than ANCS+ females and males, and ANCS- males for both time and frequency domain variables. CONCLUSION: Among non-black adolescents born with VLBW, ANCS exposure is associated with reduced HRV with apparent sex-specificity. Reduced HRV has been associated with development of adverse cardiometabolic outcomes, thus supporting the need to monitor these outcomes in VLBW adolescents as they mature.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available