title: Clinical and functional assessment of dysautonomia and its correlation in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: The aims were to assess dysautonomia in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), clinically and electrophysiologically, using sympathetic skin response (SSR) test and R-R interval variation (RRIV) test and to analyze the relationship between symptoms of dysautonomia and SSR/RRIV results. A tota of 54 patients with AD and 37 controls were evaluated using Autonomic Symptoms Questionnaire and SSR/RRIV test. Clinical dysautonomia was observed in 66% of patients (eg, orthostatic hypotension in 34.5%, constipation in 17.2%, urinary incontinence in 13.8%). The SSR test was abnormal in 26%, but the RRIV test was abnormal in 97.7% of cases; there was significant difference in RRIV test results between AD and controls (R mean 8.05% and 14.6%, respectively). In AD, clinical dysautonomia occurs at a various degree, and the abnormal SSR and RRIV test results were not always related to the presence of clinical dysautonomia; this observation points that the tests could be used as a useful tool in the assessment of subclinical dysautonomia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zakrzewska-Pniewska
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gawel
authors.forename: Elzbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Szmidt-Salkowska
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kepczynska
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nojszewska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications*; D001132:Arm; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D054969:Primary Dysautonomias / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D056152:Respiratory Rate / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*