Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2006, 208(4)

Impaired Left Ventricular Filling in Patients with Essential Hyperhidrosis: An Echo-Doppler Study

MUSTAFA SAGLAM, ALI METIN ESEN, IRFAN BARUTCU, SEMSETTIN KARACA,1 DAYIMI KAYA, OSMAN KARAKAYA, MUSTAFA KULAC,1 OZLEM ESEN,2 MEHMET MELEK, ERSEL ONRAT, ATAC CELIK and CELAL KILIT

Kosuyolu Heart Education and Research Hospital Department of Cardiology, Istanbul, Turkey, 1Department of Dermatology, 2Department of Cardiology, Kocatepe University Faculty of Medicine, Afyon, Turkey, and 3Istanbul Memorial Hospital Department of Cardiology, Istanbul, Turkey

Essential hyperhidrosis is a well recognized dermatologic and neurologic disorder, characterized by excessive sweating of the eccrine sweat glands. It is also associated with cardiac autonomic dysfunction because sympathetic fibers to eccrine glands of palms of the hand arise from stellate and upper thoracic ganglia, which also innervate the heart. In this study, we investigated cardiac function in patients with essential hyperhidrosis by conventional and tissue Doppler imaging methods. Eighteen subjects with essential hyperhidrosis and eighteen control subjects were included in this study. Pulsed-wave Doppler parameters of the left and right ventricles, which represent diastolic filling abnormalities, were obtained by conventional Doppler and tissue Doppler imaging. Isovolumetric relaxation time, isovolumetric contraction time, ejection time and myocardial performance index were also calculated. Mitral inflow peak early (EM) and late (AM) velocities and EM/AM ratio, which represent diastolic filling of left ventricle, were significantly lower in hyperhidrotic subjects than in controls. Also, mitral lateral annulus early and late velocities and early/late velocity ratio, reflecting diastolic filling of left ventricle, were significantly lower in hyperhidrotic subjects than those of controls. However, there were no differences between hyperhidrotic subjects and control subjects with regard to the other echocardiographic indices of left and right ventricle diastolic functions. In conclusion, decreased mitral inflow suggests left ventricle diastolic dysfunction in patients with essential hyperhidrosis. This indicates that hyperactivity of sympathetic nervous system in patient with hyperhidrosis may alter cardiac function in long term.

keywords —— essential hyperhidrosis; cardiac function; echocardiography

===============================

Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2006, 208, 283-290

Correspondence: Osman Karakaya, M.D., 19 mayis mahallesi sarikanarya sok., Muhsinbey Apt. No: 25/17-Kozyatagi, Istanbul, Turkey.

e-mail: drkarakaya@yahoo.com