INCREASED BLOOD FLOW VARIABILITY IN THE FOREARM AND HAND IN PATIENTS WITH VASOREGULATORY ASTHENIA

Journal/Book: Reprint from The Scandinavian Journal of Clinical & Laboratory Investigation. 1966. Vol. 18 No. 2.. 1966;

Abstract: From the Department of Clinical Physiology The University Hospital (Akademiska Sjukhuset) Uppsala Sweden Received for publication October 7 1965 SUMMARY 1. Investigations were made on 15 patients with vasoregulatory asthenia (VA) and the results compared with those obtained from 15 healthy control subjects (CS). Each subject was on the average investigated on 4 different days at time intervals usually ranging between one and seven days. Measurements of blood flow in the forearm and hand (venous occlusion plethysmography) heart and respiratory rates physical work capacity (W170) and arterial blood pressure were made. All blood flow measurements were performed at rest in some subjects also after blockade of the deep forearm nerves or after intra-arterial atropinization. The blood flow variability was calculated both from measurement to measurement performed on the same day and from investigation to investigation performed on different days all values being expressed as variance standard deviation and coefficient of variation. The variabilities of the heart rate and W170 were also calculated. 2. The variabilities of the forearm and hand flows and of the heart rate were higher in VA than in CS from measurement to measurement as well as from investigation to investigation. With more pronounced VA symptoms and signs the variability of the circulatory parameters tended to increase; on the other hand the variabilities of W170 and respiratory rate which were low in both groups remained unchanged. 3. The average blood flow level in the forearm was frequently higher on days with more pronounced VA symptoms and signs. 4. Blocking of the deep forearm nerves resulted especially in VA in a marked reduction of the forearm and hand blood flow variabilities. 5. Atropinization of the forearm and hand had no detectable effect on the blood flow variability. 6. The increased variability of the blood flows in the forearm and hand of the VA patients was suggested to be a sign of an increased and more variable sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity. ___MH

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