Korean J Anesthesiol.  2022 Feb;75(1):86-96. 10.4097/kja.21338.

Heart rate variability follow-up during COVID-19 -a case report-

• Gutiérrez AF
• Bonofiglio FC
• Karippacheril JG
• Redelico FO
• Iturralde MdLA

• KMID: 2529990
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4097/kja.21338

Abstract

Background
To detect an early increase in the inflammatory response might prove to be vital for mitigating the deleterious effects of the disease over time. Case: A 52-year-old obese man with moderate asthma and hypertension, who developed COVID-19 and had moderate symptoms, used a wearable device to record heart rate variability (HRV) during his illness. He had low parasympathetic tone, which decreased daily until it reached almost 2 standard deviations (SD) below normal values at the end of the second week. His sympathetic tone increased from > 3 SD to > 5 SD.
Conclusions
These findings suggest an altered modulation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in COVID-19, such that the sympathetic tone is augmented and the parasympathetic tone is reduced. Population norms of COVID-19 infections should be further studied over the short-term and using 24 h HRV measurements.

Keyword

Computer-assisted signal interpretation; COVID-19; Heart rate/physiology; Monitoring, ambulatory; Nervous system, autonomic; Wearable electronic devices