한국 중년 폐경여성의 대사증후군과 자율신경활성도 연관성: 횡단적 조사 연구

Association between metabolic syndrome and autonomic nervous system activity in middle-aged menopausal women in South Korea: a cross-sectional study

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between metabolic syndrome and autonomic nervous system activity in middle-aged postmenopausal women. In addition, it explored the clinical applicability of heart rate variability (HRV) as a physiological marker for the early diagnosis and man-agement of metabolic disorders. Methods: This study was conducted as a secondary data analysis us-ing health examination data. The dataset included 276 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 65 years. Autonomic nervous system activity was evaluated using HRV indices, including standard deviation of the normal-to-normal interval (SDNN), total power (TP), low frequency (LF), and high frequency (HF). Statistical analyses were performed using the t-test, chi-square test, and Pearson correlation analysis with SPSS version 26.0. Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among the participants was 21.4%. The LF index was significantly lower in the metabolic syndrome group compared with the nor-mal group (t = 2.74, p = .007). Additionally, fasting blood glucose showed significant negative correla-tions with SDNN (r = -.16, p = .010), TP (r = −.21, p < .001), LF (r = −.17, p = .004), and HF (r = −.18, p = .003). Conclusion: A reduction in HRV, particularly in LF, may serve as an indicator of metabolic syn-drome in postmenopausal women. Because autonomic dysfunction can potentially be improved through nursing interventions, the use of HRV-based monitoring and personalized nursing strategies should be considered in clinical practice to help prevent the onset of metabolic syndrome in post-menopausal women.