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.

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