title: Cardiac autonomic function in patients suffering from primary focal hyperhidrosis.
abstract: Cardiac autonomic function in patients (n = 63) with primary focal hyperhidrosis and healthy controls (n = 28) was investigated by short-term frequency domain power spectral analysis of heart rate variability. The power of the very-low-frequency band (0.01-0.05 Hz) was significantly lower in patients with axillary hyperhidrosis than in controls. No differences between groups could be observed at investigation of the low-frequency band (0.05-0.15 Hz), which was a surprising finding because this band represents also sympathetic cardiac innervation. At the high-frequency band (0.15-0.5 Hz), which represents parasympathetic cardiac innervation, an interaction of type and position influencing spectral power was detected. Our highly interesting findings indicate that primary focal hyperhidrosis is based on a much more complex autonomic dysfunction than generalised sympathetic overactivity and seems to involve the parasympathetic nervous system as well.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurological Rehabilitation, Department of Neurology, University of Vienna, Austria. peter.birner@akh-wien.ac.at
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Birner
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Heinzl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schindl
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pumprla
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schnider
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006945:Hyperhidrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male