Özet:

Objectives: Psoriasis vulgaris (PV) is a chronic inflam­matory skin disorder with increased incidence of many systemic abnormalities. However, the effects of psoria­sis on autonomic nervous system have not been previ­ously well-defined. Impaired autonomic function with an increase in sympathetic activity may be associated with ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in the general population. Heart rate turbulence (HRT) is a non­invasive test to reflect the increased sympathetic tone and abnormal baroreflex sensitivity. The aim of current study was to investigate the effect of psoriasis on cardiac au­tonomic function by using HRT and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters as possible indicators of increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Materials and methods: The study comprised 20 pso­riatic patients without cardiovascular involvement and age and sex matched 20 healthy subjects. The severity of the disease was evaluated by the “Psoriasis Area and Severity Index”. The HRV and turbulence analysis were assessed from a 24-hour Holter recording. Results: There were no statistically significant differenc­es between the two groups with respect to clinical, de­mographic and biochemical characteristics. When HRT parameters were compared; the values of the turbulence onset and slope in psoriatic patients were not significantly different from the control group (p>0.05). HRV parame­ters except for high frequency power (significantly lower in psoriatic patients, p0.05). Conclusion: Psoriasis appeared not to be associated with impaired autonomic function regarding to HRT and HRV values. Further investigations are needed to confirm these results.

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