Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Review Article

Exploring Heart Rate Variability as a Biomedical Diagnostic Tool for the Disympathetic Dimension of Eight-Constitution Medicine

Table 9

Extraneous factors controlled for HRV (20 studies).
 Extraneous factors1234567891011121314151617181920Total
Study populationAge ✓✓✓  ✓✓✓✓✓✓  ✓  ✓✓✓13
Gender      ✓ ✓✓✓   ✓ ✓ ✓ 7
Health condition✓✓✓✓ ✓✓✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓✓ ✓✓✓16
Medication✓✓✓✓ ✓✓✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓✓ ✓ ✓15
BMI✓        ✓✓        ✓4
Sample size 423260787816663847665201031030398498448619 
Study procedurePosture✓1✓1✓2✓3 ✓1✓1✓1✓1 ✓3✓1✓1✓1✓1✓3  ✓1✓16
Resting✓a✓bNANA ✓b✓ b✓ b✓ b  ✓ b✓ b✓ c✓ a✓d ✓ a✓b 13
Circadian rhythm ✓✓✓ ✓✓ ✓  ✓ ✓✓    ✓10
Wakefulness, talk  ✓✓          ✓✓ ✓✓✓7
Caffeinated drinks✓✓✓✓ ✓✓ ✓   ✓ ✓✓    10
Alcohol✓✓✓✓ ✓✓ ✓   ✓ ✓✓    10
Smoking✓    ✓✓ ✓   ✓ ✓✓    7
Food✓ ✓  ✓✓ ✓     ✓     6
Bladder filling                    0
Physical exercise     ✓✓ ✓           3
Stress level                    0
Study environmentLight✓    ✓✓✓✓  ✓ ✓   ✓✓ 9
Noise✓✓✓✓ ✓✓✓✓  ✓ ✓✓  ✓✓ 13
Temperature✓                ✓  2
Factors total = 19 129101001214714168571381887 
NA, not applicable; a10 min resting before HRV; b5 min resting before HRV; cresting time not available; d1 min resting before HRV; 1supine; 2sitting and standing; 3sitting; information on HRV control factors not available; menstruation factor controlled; +multivariated adjusted odds ratio analysis (age, gender, BMI, alcohol drinking status, smoking status, health condition, metabolic syndrome, marital status, and education level); 9 am to 4 pm (wide range).