Serum Cytokine Levels and Heart Rate Variability in the Frequency Domain in Patients With Chronic Chagas Heart Disease

The serum cytokine profile is well established in patients with chronic Chagas heart disease (CCHD). Little is known, however, about the relationship between plasma cytokine levels and frequency-domain parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with CCHD. We included patients with CCHD with ECG and/or echocardiographic abnormalities; people with no cardiac history matched by sex and age served as controls. ELISA performed cytokine quantification. The HRV in the frequency domain was used to detect parasympathetic and sympathetic dysfunction. Serum cytokine levels were higher in patients with CCHD than in controls. No correlation was found between TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-8, IL-2, IL-7, TGF-β, IL-17, and HRV indices. However, a negative correlation between serum IL-23 levels and HRV indices in the high-frequency component was observed (p = 0.044; rho = -0.587). Whether IL-23 may play a role in the pathogenesis of CHCD remains to be determined.