title: Autonomic functions in acrocyanosis assessed by heart rate variability.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the autonomic activity of patients with acrocyanosis by using heart rate variability indices.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group consisted of 24 patients with acrocyanosis and the control group contained 22 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects. All subjects underwent 24-hour Holter monitoring. Among the heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, time-domain and frequency-domain indices were analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The time-domain indices of HRV indicating global autonomic functions were found to be increased, and indices indicating parasympathetic activity showed a significant decrease in the patient group. Power-spectral analysis of HRV revealed that the low frequency and high frequency power were higher in the patient group than in controls. However, the ratio of Low Frequency/High Frequency was found to be lower in the patient group than in controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In acrocyanosis, both sympathetic and parasympathetic systems seem to be disrupted. Therefore, we may conclude that acrocyanosis may be resulted of systemic autonomic imbalance rather than pure sympathetic over-activation. Also, these results suggest that acrocyanosis is not a localised disorder; on the contrary, it is associated with various abnormalities of the systemic autonomic nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sedat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yokuşoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Çınar
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: İsmail
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Şimşek
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oben
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Baysan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bilgehan Savaş
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Öz
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Erdem
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pay
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dinç
keywords: Acrocyanosis; autonomic nervous system; heart rate variability