Background: Enhanced central hypercapnic chemosensitivity is known to mediate excessive exercise ventilation and to indicate a poor prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure. The present study was designed to elucidate the role of central sympathetic activity in the enhancement of hypercapnic chemosensitivity.
Methods: Central hypercapnic chemosensitivity and plasma norepinephrine were measured in 99 patients with chronic heart failure. In 40 patients, the alpha index was derived from simultaneous analysis of R-R interval and systolic blood pressure variability. The effects of a central sympatholytic agent, guanfacine (0.25 mg/day), on hypercapnic chemosensitivity and exercise ventilatory response were studied in 20 of these patients.
Results: Hypercapnic chemosensitivity was enhanced in 76% of the patients and correlated significantly with plasma norepinephrine levels (r = 0.49, P < .01) at rest. There was a significant inverse relationship between central chemosensitivity and the alpha index (r = -0.41, P < .01). Guanfacine significantly reduced plasma norepinephrine levels by 29% (P < .01) and chemosensitivity by 31% (P < .01). The beneficial effect of central sympathoinhibition with guanfacine was observed specifically in patients who had enhanced chemosensitivity prior to drug administration. Similarly, the patients with excessive exercise ventilation showed a greater reduction in exercise ventilation with this agent.
Conclusions: The present findings suggest that central sympathoexcitation could play an important role in the pathogenesis of enhanced hypercapnic chemosensitivity and a resultant increase in exercise ventilation in chronic heart failure.