| Summary: | Background and objective: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and may influence the autonomic nervous system. This study aims to analyze the autonomic control, through heart rate variability (HRV), from community-dwelling elders with (DM+) and without diabetes mellitus (DM−). Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study, in which 205 elders (≥ 60 years old), from the urban area of Aiquara municipality gave their written consent to participate. HRV data was collected through a Polar RS800CX monitor with a 5-min initial record at rest, followed by the command to quickly stand up. Results: The mean age was 71 years (SD, 7.32). The population was mostly made up of women 121 (59%), with low or no schooling 123 (60%), and low income 166 (81%). HRV analysis in a frequency domain showed no difference when comparing the two groups of DM+ and DM−. Henceforth in a time domain, the rMSSD showed a median value of 16.09 (interquartile range, 9.91–30.68); pNN50 median of 0.79 (interquartile range, 0.00–6.62), with a statistical significance between the group of DM+ and DM−. Conclusions: There is a difference between the studied groups principally in what concerns the time domain, which reflects the parasympathetic activity, suggesting that elders with diabetes mellitus may have a worse parasympathetic control. Keywords: Autonomic nervous system, Heart rate, Cardiac electrophysiology, Diabetes mellitus
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