Sympathetic cardiac modulation and vascular worsening in arteritis: a case report

Increases in sympathetic modulation have been associated with increased risk of acute cardiovascular events in some populations. However, whether altered cardiac autonomic modulation is related to peripheral vascular worsening has not yet been described. In this study, we assessed cardiac autonomic modulation by heart rate variability in two patients with arteritis who were followed up for 5 months. Only the subject who presented high cardiac sympathetic modulation had acute vascular worsening. This case report suggests that cardiac autonomic modulation may be related to vascular worsening in patients with arteritis.