Altered diurnal cardiac sympathovagal balance correlates with nutritional status indexes in systemic sclerosis patients

Autonomic nervous system is involved in body weight regulation. Gastrointestinal manifestations of systemic sclerosis (SSc) can influence patients’ nutritional status and facilitate the development of protein–energy malnutrition. The aim of the study is to assess the nutritional status of SSc patients and to explore its possible correlation with autonomic dysfunction using heart rate variability (HRV). We enrolled 19 SSc subjects and 19 healthy subjects as controls. Body mass index (BMI) and body surface area (BSA) were collected and recorded in all patients. HRV was measured and the domains of low frequencies (LF, index of the sympathetic modulation) and high frequencies (HF, index of the parasympathetic modulation) were recorded. As assessed by the LF/HF RATIO, sympathovagal balance is altered in SSc patients because of increased sympathetic modulation and reduced parasympathetic activity. BMI positively correlates with LF (r=0.57; p less than 0.01) and LF/HF RATIO during daytime (r= 0.46; p less than 0.05). Similarly, BSA positively correlates with LF (r= 0.51; p less than 0.05), LF day time (r= 0.53; p less than 0.05) and LF/HF RATIO night time (r=-0.51; p less than 0.05). In SSc patients the autonomic dysfunction is characterized by increased sympathetic modulation. We observed a correlation between autonomic dysfunction and nutritional status in SSc patients.