Indian journal of physiology and pharmacology
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Indian J. Physiol. Pharmacol. · Jan 2013
Cardiovascular parasympathetic nervous system dysfunction in female rheumatoid arthritis patients.
The autonomic dysfunction has been reported in patients with (rheumatoid arthritis) RA and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) like connective tissue disorders and it may be due to the vasculitis of vasa nervorum and secondary amyloidosis. The pathogenesis may also have an immune component that affects autonomic functions. ⋯ In conclusion, this study has confirmed the presence of significant subclinical cardiovascular parasympathetic nervous dysfunction in RA patients and its positive association with female gender. Hence, inclusion of cardiovascular autonomic function tests in the routine clinical examination may be helpful in the early detection of autonomic dysfunction in RA.