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Heart rate variability in preterm infants and maternal smoking during pregnancy

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Abstract

Objective

Tobacco smoke exposure increases the risk of premature birth and of dying of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Prematurity significantly increases the risk of dying of SIDS, but mechanisms underlying this epidemiological finding are unclear. The cumulated effect of both prematurity and prenatal exposure to nicotine on autonomic heart rate control has not been studied.

Methods

Using coarse-graining spectral analysis, we compared heart rate variability (HRV) indices of preterm newborns at 33–34 weeks post-conceptional age from smoking (n = 19) and non-smoking (n = 21) mothers. Assessment of tobacco exposure relied on maternal reports and newborns cotinine analysis. We observed how indicators of HRV depended on gestational age at birth.

Results

At 33–34 weeks postconceptional age, the newborns from smoking mothers had lower HRV low frequency power normalised to the total spectral power (LF/TP) than the control group (median values: 8% vs. 15% respectively, p < 0.02). In the non-smoking group, RR-interval values and total HRV power were correlated with gestational age at birth, with a shorter RR and a lower total HRV power in lesser gestational ages (ρ = 0.67, p = 0.03, ρ = 0.71, p = 0.003 respectively). This correlation was not observed for RR values in the group with smoking mothers.

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Abbreviations

GA:

Gestational age at birth

PCA:

Postconceptional age

HRV:

Heart rate variability

LF:

Low frequency band of HRV (0–0.2 Hz)

HF:

High frequency band of HRV (0.2–2 Hz)

TP:

Total spectral power of HRV

HF/TP:

HF power normalised to the total spectral power

LF/TP:

LF power normalised to the total spectral power

SIDS:

Sudden infant death syndrome

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Sylvie Cappelle for technical assistance.

Conflict of interest statement

No financial assistance was received in support of the study. Nothing to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pédiatrie-Néonatologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 25030, Besançon, France

    Gérard Thiriez, François Nobili & Alain Menget

  2. UPRES EA 3920, IFR 133, Université de Franche Comté, 25030, Besançon, France

    Gérard Thiriez, Malika Bouhaddi, Laurent Mourot & Jacques Regnard

  3. Explorations Fonctionnelles-Physiologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, 25030, Besançon, France

    Malika Bouhaddi, Laurent Mourot & Jacques Regnard

  4. UMR CNRS 6214 Inserm 771 Faculté de Médecine, 49045, Angers, France

    Jacques-Olivier Fortrat

  5. Unité du sommeil pédiatrique, Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant and INSERM U628, Université de Lyon-1, Lyon, France

    Patricia Franco

  6. Service de réanimation pédiatrique, Hôpital Saint-Jacques, Place Saint-Jacques, 25030, Besançon, France

    Gérard Thiriez

Authors
  1. Gérard Thiriez
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  2. Malika Bouhaddi
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Correspondence to Gérard Thiriez.

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Thiriez, G., Bouhaddi, M., Mourot, L. et al. Heart rate variability in preterm infants and maternal smoking during pregnancy. Clin Auton Res 19, 149–156 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-009-0003-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-009-0003-8

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