Impairment of cardiovagal autonomic function in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Introduction: Patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) may have neurological complications such as peripheral neuropathies and neurocognitive cerebral dysfunction, often complicated with cryoglobulinaemia. Autonomic neuropathies are common in cholestatic and in toxic liver diseases, with or without liver cirrhosis. It is not known, whether HCV can induce autonomic neurological dysfunction. Methods and results: Autonomic function was assessed by baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and heart rate variability (HRV) indices in 21 HCV PCR positive patients before antiviral treatment and 36 healthy, age-matched control…