Evidence of decreased sympathetic function in children with psychosomatic symptoms

Abstract.

We investigated cardiovascular autonomic function using power spectral analysis of heart rate variation and beat-to-beat finger arterial pressure at rest and while standing and correlated these findings with self-reported psychosomatic and psychosocial symptoms in 122 schoolchildren. Children with three or more psychosomatic and psychosocial symptoms (somatizers) were found to have significantly lower blood pressure than children without symptoms. Somatizers had the more decreased spectral power of the low frequency (LF) band of arterial pressure and RR intervals in the supine position. The high frequency (HF) power did not differ between the two groups. Somatizers showed a more marked reduction in systolic arterial pressure at the onset of standing than did subjects without symptoms but somatizers showed an identical response in systolic arterial pressure when compared to subjects without symptoms during the later stage of standing. The increases in the LF band of arterial pressure and LF/HF of RR intervals during standing were higher in somatizers. These results suggest that somatizers have decreased sympathetic modulation. We conclude that psychosomatic and psychosocial symptoms in children might be associated with low blood pressure and decreased sympathetic modulation.