No signs of autonomic nervous system dysfunction in primary Sjogren's syndrome evaluated by 24 hour heart rate variability

Objective. Autonomic neuropathy is associated with increased mortality. In patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS), disturbances in the autonomi c nervous system have been described using conventional cardiovascular refl ex tests. Heart rate variability (HRV) measured from Holter recording has p roved to be a reliable and sensitive method in assessing autonomic function and prognosis. We evaluated cardiovascular autonomic function based on HRV in patients with primary SS compared to the general population. Methods. We analyzed HRV from 24 h electrocardiography recordings in 28 pat ients with primary SS and 28 healthy age and sex-matched population-based c ontrols. Results. There were no significant differences in time or frequency domains or nonlinear measures of HRV between the groups. Conclusion. The prevalence of autonomic disturbances is not increased in pa tients with primary SS compared to the general population.