Introduction: Hypertension is an iceberg disease which is a risk factor for cardiovascular mortality. 45% of children with hypertensive parents have got a possibility of developing hypertension. HRV is a tool to identify autonomic dysfunction. Materials and Methods: 50 normotensive male cases with the parental history of hypertension and 50 age­matched healthy male controls were selected for the study. ECG was digitally recorded using BPL Cardiart 1087 ECG machine & Analog Digital Converter (NI­DAQ 7.5) and analyzed for SDNN, LF, HF, LF/HF ratio and E: I ratio. Results & Conclusion: SDNN, E: I ratio, HFnu were significantly reduced and LFnu & LF/HF ratio was significantly increased in cases. This indicated a reduced parasympathetic activity and increased sympathetic activity. 

Keywords: Heart Rate Variability; Cardiac Autonomic Activity; Hypertension; Sympathetic Overactivity; Parasympathetic Withdrawa