The Impact Of Heart Rate Variability In Patients With Anxiety Disorders And Normal Comparison And Abdominal Breathing Training On Heart Rate Variability In Patients With Anxiety Disorders

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to study the function of autoriomic nervous system of patients with anxiety neurosis. (2) to approach the feasibility for treating anxiety neurosis with abdominal breathing.To study the function of autonomic nervous system of patients with anxiety neurosis, heart rate variability (HRV) was analyzed in 40 patients with anxiety neurosis and in 40 healthy control. Using short梩erm (10 minutes)time domain measure of HRV, standard deviation of normal RR intervals(SDNN), percent of difference between adjacent normal RR intervals that was longer than or equal to 50ms(PNN50), root mean square successive difference between adjacent normals RR intervals(rMSSD),and the proportion of normal RK intervals whose number was the largest to al1 normal RR intervals(HRVI). The results showed that the mean of heart rate was higher in patients with anxiety neurosis than that in healthy control;SDNN, PNN50,rMSSD,HRVI were lower in patients with anxiety neurosis than that in healthy control. Thus, the study suggests thai anxiety neurotics have exaggerated sympathetic response, decreased vagal nervous activation and declined reactivity of autonomic nervous system.To approach the feasibility for treating anxiety neurosis with abdominal breathing,we assigned 64 patients with anxiety neurosis to two groups:33 patients received respiration training(experimental group),31 patients did not receive respiration training(control group).Heart rate variability(HRV) were measured before and after the experiment. Indexes were similar to that in before experiment. There was no difference in intial basel ine between the experimental group and the control group. The results showed that abdominal breathing led to changes in heart rate which were significantly decreased and SDNN,rMSSD, PNN50, HRVI which were significantly greater than those shown by the patients without respiration training. Thus, the study suggests that abdominal breathing may augment function of autonomic nervous system, increase vagal nervous reactivation and attenuate sympathetic activation.. Abdominal breathing could play an important role in treating the patients with anxiety neurosis.