Cardiovascular autonomic regulation, inflammation and pain in rheumatoid arthritis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition characterised by reduced heart rate variability (HRV) of unknown cause. We tested the hypothesis that low HRV, indicative of cardiac autonomic cardiovascular dysfunction, was associated with systemic inflammation and pain. Given the high prevalence of hypertension (HTN) in RA, a condition itself associated with low HRV, we also assessed whether the presence of hypertension further reduced HRV in RA.

Methods

In RA-normotensive (n=13), RA-HTN (n=17), normotensive controls (NC; n=17) and HTN (n=16) controls, blood pressure and heart rate were recorded. Time and frequency domain measures of HRV along with serological markers of inflammation (high sensitivity C-reactive protein [hs-CRP], tumour necrosis fact

SUBMITTER: Adlan AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5744865 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature