Cardiovascular autonomic response to food ingestion in patients with gastritis: a comparison between Helicobacter pylori-positive and -negative patients.
BACKGROUND
Feeding evokes a cardiovascular response associated to an increased sympathetic drive. The role of the parasympathetic component in this regard is less clear. Improvement of postprandial vasovagal complaints after Helicobacter pylori eradication in three cases led us to assess autonomic response to feeding in H. pylori-positive patients in search for an exacerbated parasympathetic response.


METHODS
Patients with mild or moderate chronic histologic gastritis were studied. Subjects with the same diagnosis but testing negative for H. pylori were used as controls. Noninvasive cardiovascular tests were applied before and after feeding.


RESULTS
On sympathetic tests, standing postprandial blood pressure was lower than preprandially in 5/12 H. pylori-positive patients and in 0/9 controls, p = .045. Resting postprandial BP on handgrip test was significantly lower than preprandially only in H. pylori-positive patients (71 +/- 8 versus 76 +/- 6 mmHg, p = .0068). Regarding parasympathetic tests, the 4-s unloaded exercise revealed greater initial heart rate response to unloaded cycling after feeding than preprandially again only in H. pylori-positive patients (1.40 +/- 0.20 versus 1.33 +/- 0.17, p = .0195). On tests influenced by both branches of the autonomic system, a difference was seen in the chronotropic response to handgrip. Postprandial heart rate on effort of H. pylori-positive patients was not higher than preprandially in contrast to controls [intervals between 2 consecutive R waves on electrocardiogram (R-R intervals) of 666 +/- 39 versus 685 +/- 62 ms, p = .0195], suggesting blunted sympathetic activation in the former.


CONCLUSIONS
Supporting the observations that motivate the study, our findings indicate blunted sympathetic reactivity and exacerbated vagal response to feeding in H. pylori-positive patients.
Lugon
Jocemir Ronaldo
JR
Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. jocerl@huap.uff.br
Moreira
Mauro Diniz
MD
de Almeida
José Mentor Ramos
JM
Silva
Agostinho Soares
AS
Esberard
Eliane Cathala Bordalo
EC
Bousquet-Santos
Kelb
K
Carvalho
Angela Gouvêa
AG
Mendes
Luciana Claudia
LC
da Nobrega
Antonio Claudio Lucas
AC