Baroreflex sensitivity
DEBaroreflexsensitivität
Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) measures how strongly your heart rate responds to quick changes in blood pressure. It is given as milliseconds of change in the gap between beats, per mmHg of pressure change. Pressure sensors (baroreceptors) in your carotid sinus and aortic arch constantly adjust your vagal and sympathetic nerve output to smooth out pressure swings. A higher BRS means a more responsive, efficient reflex. BRS drops with age, high blood pressure, heart failure, and diabetes. A low BRS is an independent predictor of bad heart events and death, especially after a heart attack. It is measured by drug methods (a phenylephrine or nitroprusside bolus), by spontaneous-sequence analysis, or by the modified Oxford technique. Researchers study it as a marker of heart aging that responds to exercise and weight loss.
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