Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Summary</jats:title><jats:sec>
<jats:title>Background</jats:title>
<jats:p>We aimed to assess coping and vegetative reactivity in uveal melanoma (UM) patients compared to controls with benign nevi of the uvea.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>Material and methods</jats:title>
<jats:p>In total, 20 patients with recently diagnosed uveal melanoma were recruited and matched for age and gender to 20 controls with benign nevi of the uvea. Heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV) were monitored throughout an initial period of rest (POR1), a mental stress test (DT), and another period of rest (POR2). Coping strategies were assessed for both groups using a stress-coping questionnaire.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>Results</jats:title>
<jats:p>The LF/HF ratio (low-/high-frequency component of total spectral power) of HRV showed decreasing values in the UM group and increasing values in controls throughout the measurement sequence (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.025). Diastolic BPV revealed declining values of the low-frequency component in normalized units (LFnu) between POR1 and DT in UM patients compared to rising values between POR1 and DT in controls (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> = 0.006). There were no intergroup differences in coping strategies (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> > 0.05).</jats:p>
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<jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title>
<jats:p>Coping mechanisms are unaltered in patients with uveal melanoma compared to controls, but vegetative reactivity may show a different pattern once patients are diagnosed.</jats:p>
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