Dynamics of cardiac autonomic neuropathy in patients with ischemic stroke during verticalizati

Acute cerebrovascular accidents remain an urgent problem in neurology. Heterogeneous pathologies accompanying stroke determine its course and development of complications. Such pathologies require early remodeling during the rehabilitation process. Understaging the symptoms of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM 2) worsens the patient prognosis after an ischemic stroke. The aim of the paper is to study the manifestations of cardiac autonomic neuropathy in patients with ischemic stroke associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and to assess their dynamics during verticalization. Materials and Methods. The study involved 60 patients of both sexes (aged 45-75) with acute ischemic stroke (IS). The first group consisted of 30 patients with DM 2, the second group enrolled 30 patients without diabetes. At the beginning of the study, we collected complaints, anamnesis, analyzed risk factors for CAN, examined the patients according to the NIH Stroke Scale and the Rankin Scale, carried out cardiovascular tests (CVT) for CAN detection, electrocardiography, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, and electroneuromyography. The patients underwent passive verticalization for 12 days, which was followed by neurological examination, CVT and ECG. We used both descriptive (calculating the median, 25th and 75th quartiles) and nonparametric statistics (Mann-Whitney U-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Cochran's Q test) for data processing. Results. Initially, patients with DM 2 demonstrated significant changes in all CVTs, and a predominance of the advanced CAN. Confirmed CAN prevailed in the patients of the second group. After verticalization, some positive changes in neurological scales, CVT, and CAN severity were observed in patients of both groups. However, at the end of the trial, the decrease in CAN manifestation in patients with IS associated with DM 2 was less pronounced as compared with patients without DM. Conclusion. Passive verticalization helps to reduce CAN manifestations in patients with IS, including those with associated DM 2.