Title | Heart rate variability in adolescents with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea and anorexia nervosa. | ||
Author | Bomba, Monica; Corbetta, Fabiola; Gambera, Alessandro; Nicosia, Franco; Bonini, Luisa; Neri, Francesca; Tremolizzo, Lucio; Nacinovich, Renata | ||
Journal | Psychiatry Res | Publication Year/Month | 2014-Feb |
PMID | 24359810 | PMCID | -N/A- |
Affiliation + expend | 1.Clinic of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, San Gerardo Hospital, University of Milan Bicocca, Monza, Italy. Electronic address: monica.bomba@gmail.com. |
Aim of this study consisted in assessing the 24-h heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of autonomic nervous system (ANS) imbalance, in 21 adolescents with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA, 11 normogonadotropic, N-FHA, and 10 hypogonadotropic, Hy-FHA) compared to 21 patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and 21 controls. As expected, subjects with AN showed a significant dysregulation in multiple HRV parameters, while Hy-FHA patients presented with a dysregulation in a few domains (SDNN, HFr), which was not present in girls with N-FHA, who showed values largely similar to controls. FHA might represent part of the AN biological spectrum, and a link between these two conditions might exist, possibly related to the degree of psychological and/or hormonal dysfunction.