Considering the role of autonomic imbalance in the pathogenesis of hypersensitivity reactions, we evaluated the autonomic system through time-domain analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with allergic rhinitis. Twenty-four patients with allergic rhinitis and 22 healthy subjects (mean age, 41 +/- 8 years and 37 +/- 9 years, respectively) were enrolled in the study. The diagnosis of allergic rhinitis was based on the history, symptoms, and skin prick tests results. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic recordings were obtained, and the time-domain indices were analyzed. Analysis of HRV revealed that the SD of normal RR intervals, SD of successive differences in normal cycles, and HRV triangular index were not significantly different between the groups, but the root mean square successive difference, number of RR intervals exceeding 50 milliseconds, and percentage difference between adjacent normal RR intervals exceeding >50 milliseconds were significantly greater in the study group, compared with the control group. Our findings showed that HRV indices, which predict parasympathetic predominance, were increased in patients with allergic rhinitis. This finding shows that vagal activation is present not only in the nose but also in other systems, including the cardiovascular system.
Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), the cause of which is unknown, is a heart disease characterized by obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract and an increase in interventricular septum thickness. Octreotide, a synthetic analogue of somatostatin, was administered subcutaneously to 15 patients for 6 months in order to determine its efficacy in HOCM. Echocardiographic examination was performed in each patient before we had initiated treatment and after treatment. Interventricular septum thickness, interventricular septum thickness/left ventricular posterior wall thickness, and subaortic gradient decreased significantly at the end of treatment. The ratio of the mitral valve E to A waves increased significantly. We observed that octreotide treatment caused a significant decrease in interventricular septum thickness and subaortic pressure gradient. Before and after therapy left ventricular enddiastolic diameter, left ventricular endsystolic diameter, ejection fraction and fractional shortening were not changed. No adverse effect was observed during the therapy. According to our results, octreotide has some beneficial effects on HOCM and it seems to be a new therapeutic approach for HOCM.
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