Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in primary Sjögren's syndrome

To assess the occurrence and clinical significance of a cardiovascular autonomic nervous system dysfunction in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Fifty-one pSS patients participated in this case-control study. Heart rate and blood pressure variability measurements, spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity examinations and cardiovascular reflex tests were performed. The results of the heart rate and blood pressure variability measurements and also the baroreflex sensitivity parameters of the pSS patients peaked in the lowest percentile ranges of a database on 559 healthy control subjects (P < 0.05). In three of the five cardiovascular reflex tests, the frequencies of abnormal results were significantly higher among the patients than among the controls (P < 0.05), and the median autonomic neuropathy score was also elevated (3 vs 0 in the controls; P < 0.0001). Signs of an autonomic nervous system dysfunction involving the cardiovascular system can be discerned in the majority of pSS patients.