title: Increase in pulmonary blood flow during cold stimulation of the mouth in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: To determine whether pulmonary blood flow is altered by cold stimulation of the mouth, a cold stimulus was induced by having 11 systemic lupus erythematosus patients without pulmonary fibrosis hold ice in their mouths. Lung perfusion was measured by continuous venous infusion of Krypton-81m. During the period in which the ice was held in the mouth, 2 patients showed 32% and 41% increase in pulmonary blood flow. After the cold stimulus was removed, pulmonary blood flow recovered in these patients to within the control range by a margin commensurate with the increase in the duration of the cold stimulus, suggesting that the response may be due to an abnormal reflex of the autonomic nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Tokai University, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arimori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D011928:Raynaud Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology