title: Acute panautonomic neuropathy.
abstract: Two patients with acute panautonomic neuropathy had severe impairment of sympathetic and parasympathetic function of acute onset. Autonomic tests suggesting a postganglionic lesion and direct evidence of loss of unmyelinated and small myelinated fibers on nerve biopsy were found in Patient 1. There was a selective loss of small myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers; C potential was absent in the in vitro compound action potential; dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity was unmeasurable. No definite abnormalities were found on the nerve biopsy of Patient 2. The acute panautonomic neuropathies appear to comprise a spectrum of somatic and autonomic involvement.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000473:pathology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000473:pathology