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Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Children
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Evaluation of cardiac autonomic functions in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

H Yorgun1, U Canpolat, K Aytemir

  • 1Polatlı Duatepe State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.

Lupus
|October 20, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients show impaired cardiac autonomic functions, including heart rate recovery and heart rate variability, even without overt symptoms. These findings highlight potential risks and the need for further investigation into autonomic dysfunction in SLE.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Rheumatology
  • Autonomic Nervous System Research

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
  • Cardiac autonomic dysfunction may precede or accompany overt cardiac involvement in SLE patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate cardiac autonomic functions in patients with SLE.
  • To assess heart rate recovery (HRR), heart rate variability (HRV), heart rate turbulence (HRT), and QT dispersion in SLE patients compared to healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Enrolled 36 SLE patients and 32 healthy controls for 24-h Holter monitoring.
  • Calculated HRR indices, analyzed HRV (including SDNN, SDANN, RMSSD, PNN50, LF, HF), HRT, and QT dispersion.
  • Compared autonomic function parameters between SLE patients and the control group.

Main Results:

  • SLE patients exhibited significantly impaired HRR, reduced HRV (lower SDNN, SDANN, RMSSD, PNN50, HF; higher LF/HF ratio), and altered HRT.
  • Increased QT dispersion was observed in SLE patients compared to controls.
  • These autonomic function abnormalities were present despite the absence of overt cardiac symptoms in SLE patients.

Conclusions:

  • Cardiac autonomic functions are significantly impaired in SLE patients, irrespective of clinical cardiac involvement.
  • Impaired autonomic function may represent an early marker of cardiovascular risk in SLE.
  • Further research is warranted to understand the prognostic significance and clinical implications of these findings in SLE management.
Abstract

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