Heart rate recovery in epilepsy.

Autonomic manifestations regarding cardiac function in epilepsy are not rare and are being recognized with increasing frequency. The aim of this study was to assess autonomic function by measuring heart rate recovery (HRR), an index of vagal activity, in patients with epilepsy who were not taking any medication. Fourteen patients (eight with primary generalized epilepsy, four with secondary generalized epilepsy, and two with complex partial epilepsy) and 14 control subjects underwent exercise tolerance tests according to the modified Bruce protocol. HRR at 1 and 3 min (HRR1 and HRR3) were calculated. HRR1 and HRR3 were increased in patients with epilepsy. These results suggest increased parasympathetic function in epilepsy and support results of previous studies indicating autonomic dysfunction in epilepsy.