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Heart rate variability in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
K S Stein1, I C McFarlane, N Goldberg
1Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
Insights
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients show reduced heart rate variability, indicating impaired cardiac autonomic function, regardless of corticosteroid treatment. This suggests a chronic autonomic dysfunction in SLE impacting cardiovascular health.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Cardiology
- Autonomic Neuroscience
Background:
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity.
- Chronic cardiovascular complications are a growing concern for long-term SLE survivors.
- Autonomic dysfunction may contribute to cardiovascular issues in SLE.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate cardiac parasympathetic autonomic function in SLE patients.
- To compare autonomic function between SLE patients with and without corticosteroid treatment.
- To assess the impact of corticosteroids on cardiac autonomic status in SLE.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study design.
- Inclusion of 34 female SLE patients and age/gender-matched controls.
- Assessment of heart rate variability (HRV) using time and frequency domain indices.
Main Results:
- SLE patients, both with and without corticosteroid therapy, exhibited significantly reduced HRV indices compared to controls.
- No significant difference in HRV indices was observed between SLE patients receiving corticosteroids and those not on therapy.
- These findings suggest a consistent impairment of cardiac parasympathetic function in SLE.
Conclusions:
- Patients with SLE demonstrate impaired cardiac parasympathetic autonomic function.
- Corticosteroid treatment did not significantly alter the observed autonomic dysfunction in this SLE cohort.
- Further research is warranted to explore the mechanisms and long-term cardiovascular implications of autonomic dysfunction in SLE.
Abstract:
As patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) survive their episodes of disease activity, increasing morbidity is shown to be related to chronic cardiovascular complications. The objective of this study was to assess the cardiac parasympathetic autonomic functional status, as reflected by heart rate variability, in SLE patients with and without corticosteroid treatment. A cross-sectional study of SLE patients attending the Arthritis Clinic was done, using age and gender-matched controls. Thirty-four female patients, age 39 +/- 11, were entered, 20 of whom were receiving steroids at the time of study. Time and frequency domain heart rate variability indices were significantly reduced in the SLE groups with and without corticosteroid therapy, as compared to controls. The indices were not, however, significantly different in the two SLE groups.