title: Is autonomic dysfunction a necessary condition for chronic peptic ulcer formation?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relationship between 1/f fluctuation of the heart rate variability and Helicobacter pylori infection was evaluated, in order to clarify whether autonomic nervous dysfunction is a necessary condition for chronic peptic ulcer formation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 11 patients with recurrent chronic peptic ulcer and 20 age-matched normal subjects. Holter ECGs were recorded over 24 h, and the 1/f(-x) fluctuation of the heart rate was computed. The 1/f(-x) fluctuation of the heart rate is a novel index of autonomic function that has been shown to reflect a patient's pleasant mood. For 1/f(-x) fluctuation, the slope of the regression line (-x) was determined and cosine fitting of the absolute slope of the regression line over a 24-h period was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the normal group, the absolute slope of the regression line during daytime and night-time were 0.53 +/- 0.16 and 1.05 +/- 0.18, respectively. For the peptic ulcer group, the corresponding values during daytime and night-time were 0.94 +/- 0.15 and 1.84 +/- 0.18, respectively. The mean value of the cosine curve was 0.76 +/- 0.23 in the normal group and 1.12 +/- 0.25 in the peptic ulcer group. Thus, these values were significantly higher for the latter group than for the former group (P<0.05). No statistically significant difference in H. pylori infection between the two groups was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Autonomic nervous dysfunction as well as H. pylori infection appears to be a necessary condition for chronic peptic ulcer formation.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Tokushima, Japan. nomura@clin.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nomura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yukinaka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyajima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okahisa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakaya
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology*