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Ranjbar F, Akbarzadeh F, Zakeri F, et al. Effects of citalopram on heart rate variability in women with generalized anxiety disorder. ARYA Atheroscler. 2015;11(3):196-203
Ranjbar, F., Akbarzadeh, F., Zakeri, F., Farahbakhsh, M., & Ali Nazari, M. (2015). Effects of citalopram on heart rate variability in women with generalized anxiety disorder. ARYA atherosclerosis, 11(3), 196-203.
Ranjbar, Fatemeh, et al. "Effects of citalopram on heart rate variability in women with generalized anxiety disorder." ARYA atherosclerosis vol. 11,3 (2015): 196-203.
Ranjbar F, Akbarzadeh F, Zakeri F, Farahbakhsh M, Ali Nazari M. Effects of citalopram on heart rate variability in women with generalized anxiety disorder. ARYA Atheroscler. 2015 May;11(3):196-203. PMID: 26405453; PMCID: PMC4568193.
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ARYA Atheroscler. 2015 May;11(3):196-203.

Effects of citalopram on heart rate variability in women with generalized anxiety disorder.

ARYA atherosclerosis

Fatemeh Ranjbar, Fariborz Akbarzadeh, Faramarz Zakeri, Mostafa Farahbakhsh, Mohammad Ali Nazari

Affiliations

  1. Associate Professor, Clinical Psychiatry Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
  2. Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
  3. Resident, Clinical Psychiatry Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
  4. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

PMID: 26405453 PMCID: PMC4568193

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Heart rate variability (HRV) is defined as variations in R-R interval with time. Dysautonomia is common in patients with psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. Using HRV analysis, recent studies showed that in anxiety disorders, the vagal cardiac function decreases, and sympathetic function increases. This study aimed at investigating citalopram effects on HRV.

METHODS: This before and after study was conducted in 25 generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients. GAD was diagnosed based on clinical interview according to diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders IV-Text revised (DSM-IV-TR) criteria using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders-I questionnaire. A cardiologist studied 24 h ambulatory monitoring of the electrocardiogram (Holter) on all patients before the treatment. A volume of 20 mg of citalopram was administered to the subjects on a daily basis. Then, they were studied by Holter monitoring again after 1-month of administration of citalopram.

RESULTS: The average age of participants was 35.32 ± 8.7. The average Holter monitoring time was 23.29 ± 1.14 h before treatment and 23.81 ± 0.68 after it. The 3 h low frequency/high frequency ratio was significantly different between 3 h segments of time before treatment (P < 0.001). This difference was even higher after treatment (P = 0.001). Data showed an increase in parasympathetic tone during sleep both before and after treatment.

CONCLUSION: These patients showed some impairments of HRV indices that did not improve by citalopram in future, the clinical importance of such disturbances should be evaluated in details with prolonged follow-up and greater sample size.

Keywords: Ambulatory Electrocardiography; Anxiety Disorders; Heart Rate

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