ABSTRACT
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic connective tissue disease characterized by vasomotor disturbances. Autonomic dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various symptoms in patients with SSc. In this retrospective study, thirty patients with SSc as cases and thirty age matched healthy subjects were enrolled as controls. The patients as well as controls were subjected to a standard battery of autonomic tests including reactivity and activity (tone) tests. Resting autonomic variables like blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) were also recorded. In our study, we found significantly higher HR and RR in the patient group (P = 0.0001 and 0.012 respectively). We also observed significantly lower parasympathetic tone and parasympathetic reactivity in SSc patients than the controls. This study shows the status of autonomic functions in SSc patients in India, with lower central parasympathetic drive to the heart. The present study may give some insight for better understanding of this multisystem disorder of unknown etiology.