Avaliação cardiorrespiratória e efeitos da hidroterapia em mulheres com síndrome fibromiálgica

Abstract

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a non-inflammatory chronic pain syndrome characterized by diffuse musculoskeletal pain. Advances have been made in underlying its etiology and pathophysiology and some evidence has suggested that autonomic dysfunction plays an important role in FMS. Thus, the present thesis consisted of three studies in order to elucidate unknown aspects regarding the autonomic cardiovascular control in women with FMS. The Study I, entitled "Respiratory sinus arrhythmia and its association with pain in women with fibromyalgia syndrome", aimed to evaluate the autonomic modulation of heart rate (HR) at rest and during the deep breathing test, as well as to evaluate possible associations between cardiac autonomic indices and the pain in women with FMS. The results suggest that women with FMS present compromised neurocardiac integrity, which is associated with the pain and the impact on quality of life. The Study II, entitled "Cardiovascular Control in women with fibromyalgia syndrome: the causal methods provide complementary information to traditional methods?", aimed to assess whether the baroreflex sensitivity assessed by the model-based causal closedloop approach based on spontaneous RR and systolic arterial pressure variabilities during supine and active standing in patients with FMS could provide complementary information to those obtained by traditional indices based on time and frequency domains. The model-based causal closed-loop method provided complementary information on the cardiovascular autonomic control, revealing reduced baroreflex sensitivity, a reduced strength of the baroreflex control as well as a blunted response to the orthostatic stimulus in FMS patients. The Study III, entitled "Effects of a hydrotherapy program on symbolic dynamics and complexity of heart rate variability and aerobic capacity in women with fibromyalgia syndrome", aimed to evaluate the effects of a hydrotherapy program on aerobic capacity and linear and non-linear dynamics of heart rate variability in women with FMS. A 16-week hydrotherapy program proved to be effective in improving symptoms, aerobic functional capacity and cardiac autonomic control in women with FMS. The improvement in non-linear dynamics of HR variability was associated with the improvement of pain and the impact of FMS on the quality of life.