氣喘兒童休息及活動狀態下的心率變異度

The purpose of this study was to compare the heart rate variability (HRV) between healthy and asthmatic children at rest and during exercise. A total of 16 asthmatic children and 19 healthy children were purposively recruited in this study. Chidlren in both groups were asked to sit ten minutes and step exercise ten minutes. All children's steady EKGs were recorded after five minutes at rest and during exercise in order to analyze the changes of HRV using frequency domain. Finally, t-test was used to compare the differences between groups. The results showed that no difference of HRV was found at rest between two groups. However, the HF (t=2.39, p＜0.05), and HFnu (t=4.12, p＜0.01) were significantly higher in asthmatic children than in healthy children during exercise. The finding implied that the parasympathetic response was more sensitive in children with asthma than those of healthy children, but it may cause asthma attack. Hence, health care providers should endeavor to balance the pro and con of exercise and to avoid asthma attack for the future asthma care. The findings of this study can serve as valuable information for future asthma HRV research comparison and for improving the quality of asthma care.