Abstract
Background/aim Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by neurodegeneration or demyelination; the relapsing–remitting phase of MS is characterized by acute exacerbation of disease activity. The most commonly used noninvasive approach to assess autonomic function is the determination of heart rate turbulence (HRT) and heart rate variability (HRV). The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction using HRT and HRV parameters determined via 24-h Holter ECG monitoring in patients with relapsing–remitting MS without known heart disease.Materials and methods The study included 26 patients diagnosed with relapsing–remitting MS and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. HRT and HRV parameters were analyzed via 24-h Holter ECG monitoring. Magnetic resonance imaging findings were reevaluated to identify any demyelinating lesions in the brain stem.Results The HRV parameters of SDNNI (mean of the standard deviations of all normal sinus RR intervals in all 5-min segments), rMSSD (root–mean–square successive difference), and sNN50 (percentage of successive normal sinus RR intervals >50 ms) were significantly lower in the MS group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion This study revealed that the patients with MS had reduced HRV; this was demonstrated by dysfunction with regard to parasympathetic and sympathetic parameters in HRV analysis.
Highlights
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that causes neurodegeneration or demyelination caused by the entrance of autoreactive lymphocytes into the central nervous system (CNS)
This study revealed that the patients with MS had reduced heart rate variability (HRV); this was demonstrated by dysfunction with regard to parasympathetic and sympathetic parameters in HRV analysis
The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction using heart rate turbulence (HRT) and HRV parameters determined with 24-h Holter ECG monitoring in patients with MS but no known heart disease
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that causes neurodegeneration or demyelination caused by the entrance of autoreactive lymphocytes into the central nervous system (CNS). Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a rare disease, characterized by a chronic course with intermittent relapses According to WHO, the disease burden of MS accounts for 0.1% of total disease burden of neurologic diseases [1,2,3]. The course of MS is explained broadly with two phases: the first phase is the relapsing–remitting phase, which is characterized by acute exacerbation of disease activity and is pathologically associated with CNS inflammation. The second phase (progressive) involves slow but constant progression of neurological deficits due to degeneration of the CNS [1]. MS usually begins in the form of the relapsing–remitting
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