[Comorbid pathology of the cardiovascular system in young patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis]

To study the state of the cardiovascular system and peripheral microcirculation in young patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).

The study included 45 MS patients (17 men and 28 women, age 28 [24; 32] years, disease duration 5.5 [2; 7] years). The control group included healthy controls (age 30 [25; 33] years). Neurological and cardiologic examinations included 24-hour Holter ECG monitoring and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring with determination of the daily arterial vascular stiffness, echocardiography, laser doppler flowmetry followed by an occlusive test to assess the state of microvasculation, levels of serum vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1).

In MS group, the results of 24-hour blood pressure monitoring showed that the variability of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure during daytime hours was reduced compared to the control group (p<0.026 and p<0.002, respectively). The indicators of daily arterial stiffness in MS group were significantly increased (p<0.001). According to the results of Holter ECG monitoring, no heart rhythm disorder was detected in both groups, except an increase in the number of supraventricular extrasystoles in MS patients compared to the control group (p<0.005). There were no between group differences in echocardiography indicators. The level of VCAM-1 was significantly increased in MS group compared to controls (p<0.001).

Young MS patients are at risk of cardiovascular diseases associated with the variability of blood pressure and indexes of daily arterial vascular stiffness.