The early signs of intrauterine growth restriction on the data of maternal heart rate variability

The measures of heart rate variability (HRV) were analyzed in women at terms of approximately 20 gestational weeks at rest and under mental (calculation in mind) and respiratory (deep breathing with a voluntary periodicity) loading tests. Responses of HRV to above mentioned tests were compared between groups of women with normally proceeding pregnancy (NP, n = 92) and intrauterine growth restriction syndrome (IGR, n = 41). Significant differences between NP and IGR groups were shown in dynamics of vago-sympathetic index (VSI: ratio of the spectral components HF/VLF) and parameter of Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) of maternal cardiac rhythm against respiratory probe in subgroups of women with initially high baroreflex activity (IGR: increase of VSI +33 %; NP: decrease of VSI -10 %, p < 0.01; IGR: decrease of DFA -25 %; NP: increase of DFA +8 %, p < 0.001) and predominant sympathetic activity (IGR: increase of VSI +55 %; NP: increase of VSI +5 %, p < 0.05; IGR: decrease of DFA -3 %; NP: increase of DFA +13 %, p < 0.10). It has been concluded that HRV dynamical measures under condition of respiratory loading test are the valuable criteria for prediction of fetal growth restriction syndrome at pre-clinical stage of its development.

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Kleshchenogov S.A. – senior researcher of laboratory of physiology, e-mail: serg_kle29@mail.ru