Abstract
Objective: To analyze the behavior of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) of individuals with type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (DM1). Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, which investigated 35 male individuals, aged between 18 and 30 years old, divided into two groups, namely: GDM1 - 19 young people with type 1 diabetes mellitus, with time of exposure to the disease aged 13 ± 6.89 years (mean ± standard deviation) and CG - 16 healthy individuals. Both groups underwent heart rate variability (HRV) tests and a four-second exercise test (T4s) that separately assesses the parasympathetic branch of the ANS, the result of which is expressed by the cardiac vagal index (CVI). Results: The time and frequency domain indexes using HRV did not differ (p> 0.05), as well as CVI (p = 0.33). However, the resting heart rate (HR) recorded during HRV, showed significant differences between GDM1 and CG (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: The findings of the present study contribute to reinforce that early identification of autonomic dysfunction in individuals with DM can accelerate the prophylaxis and control of lesions in target organs with the use of specific drugs and also with non-pharmacological approaches.