Estimation of the Effect of the Course of Short-Term Sessions of Dry Immersion on Autonomic Regulation in Patients with Parkinsonism

Abstract: This study was aimed at estimation of the effect of a course of seven short-term sessions of dry immersion (DI) on autonomic regulation in patients with parkinsonism. Seven patients with parkinsonism (five men and two women at the age of 51–66 years, with the severity of the disease of 1–3 on the H&Y scale) participated in the study. Analysis of time and frequency domains of heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure (BP) control were performed under the conditions of a baseline test, during deep controlled breathing and orthostatic test before the course of dry immersion, immediately after the course, and two weeks later. HRV analysis in patients with parkinsonism showed a significant decrease in the reactivity of the autonomic nervous system, determined by low values of HRV time-domain parameters (SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50, CV), as well as the total power spectrum, LF and HF spectrum domains. A course of seven sessions of dry immersion caused a decrease in blood pressure, but did not exert a significant effect on HRV parameters at baseline test and during functional tests, which evidences the autonomic dysregulation in patients with parkinsonism. The peculiarities of autonomic reactivity in patients with parkinsonism requires the careful enroll of subjects when using dry immersion for rehabilitation and also monitoring of the cardiovascular function during this procedure. © 2021, Pleiades Publishing, Inc.