The regulatory effects of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) concern almost all organs which permanently feed information back to this global biological vigilance system controlling allostasis. Heart rate fluctuations are highly dependent on ANS control, making the heart one of the best indicators of ANS activity. Low ANS activity level is associated with severe cardiac and cerebral events, as well as to death from any cause in the general population. This PROOF study was hence designed to evaluate ANS activity levels among a healthy retired population, but should these levels decline overtime, to use this as a predictor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, taking into account established cardiovascular risk factors.
The main goal of this PROOF study is to evaluate, on a selected prospective cohort of subjects aged 65 years upon study entry, the prognostic values of ANS activity levels measured at preset times, and more specifically, of its decline over the follow-up period, for fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
1,011
Centre Hospitalier de Saint-Etienne
Saint-Etienne, France
Composite criterion : fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events
Time frame: During all the study
Presence and severity of clinically silent stroke revealed through brain MRI
Time frame: Years 1, 3 and 5
Neuropsychological performance
Time frame: Years 1, 3 and 5
ANS activity measured by heart rate variability + spontaneous baroreflex + blood pressure variability
Time frame: Years 1, 3 and 5
Biological data : fasting blood glucose, total and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and CRP
Time frame: Years 1, 3 and 5
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