Evaluation of the autonomic regulation of the cardiac oxygen supply of measured physical activity in patients with remitting multiple sclerosis

Results of the study on the autonomic nervous system dysregulation in multiple sclerosis (MS), in particular, the autonomic heart regulation, are presented. The variability of cardiac rhythm at rest and after measured physical activity is evaluated. The autonomic cardiovascular balance at baseline was analyzed in 32 patients during 5 min at rest (resting awakening state) and 7 min after the cycle ergometry test (CET) during 5 min. At resting state, there was the decrease in the autonomic regulation of the cardiac rhythm assessed by the indicators of the total variability due to the parasympathetic insufficiency. All patients had low tolerability to the physical loading. After CET, patients intolerant to physical loading had significantly lower values of the indicators compared to those who completed the test. The low values of spectral indicators in patients intolerant to physical loading during the restoration may suggest the exhaustion of adaptive resources of the cardiovascular system during the CET and reduced possibilities for the restoration of autonomic reserves after the attempt to perform physical tasks.