title: Analysis of heart rate variations in patients with multiple sclerosis. A simple measure of autonomic nervous disturbances using an ordinary ECG.
abstract: A simple method requiring only an ordinary ECG apparatus and a ruler has shown a hitherto unknown abnormality of the autonomic nervous sysyem in patients with multiple sclerosis. The main findings were that both long-term and short-term variations in heart rate were reduced in patients wirh multiple sclerosis. The reduction was comparable with that observed in other patients with autonomic abnormalities-for example, long-term diabetics-but in addition patients with multiple sclerosis presented unexpected large shifts in pulse rate levels, lasting from a few to 10 or 20 beats.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*