Heart rate variability associates with asymptomatic coronary atherosclerosis

Heart rate variability (HRV) becomes impaired in symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD), particularly, after myocardial infarction. The mechanism how CAD results in impairment of cardiac autonomic regulation is not known. Whether it results rather from coronary atherosclerosis itself than myocardial ischemia and myocardial injury has remained elusive. Quantitative coronary angiography was performed in 30 subjects without history of myocardial...