EFFECT OF END-STAGE RENAL-DISEASE ON DECREASED HEART-RATE-VARIABILITY

We compared short-term heart rate variability (HRV) in 60 patients wit h end-stage renal disease (ESRD) with 33 age-matched healthy controls and also assessed the contribution of known determinants of HRV in the ESRD patients. HRV was markedly decreased in the ESRD patients and th e predictor variables of cardiac diseases, diabetes mellitus, age, hea rt rate, gender, and smoking explained only a small portion of HRV, su ggesting that ESRD itself is an independent factor for decreased HRV.