Autonomic dysfunction in different subtypes of multiple system atrophy

✍ Scribed by Claudia Schmidt; Birgit Herting; Silke Prieur; Susann Junghanns; Katherine Schweitzer; Christoph Globas; Ludger Schöls; Heinz Reichmann; Daniela Berg; Tjalf Ziemssen

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 641 KB
• Volume: 23
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-3185
• DOI: 10.1002/mds.22187

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) can clinically be divided into the cerebellar (MSA‐C) and the parkinsonian (MSA‐P) variant. However, till now, it is unknown whether autonomic dysfunction in these two entities differs regarding severity and profile. We compared the pattern of autonomic dysfunction in 12 patients with MSA‐C and 26 with MSA‐P in comparison with 27 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls using a standard battery of autonomic function tests and a structured anamnesis of the autonomic nervous system. MSA‐P patients complained significantly more often about the symptoms of autonomic dysfunctions than MSA‐C patients, especially regarding vasomotor, secretomotor, and gastrointestinal subsystems. However, regarding cardiovascular, sudomotor pupil, urogenital, and sleep subsystems, there were no significant quantitative or qualitative differences as analyzed by autonomic anamnesis and testing. Our results suggest that there are only minor differences in the pattern of autonomic dysfunction between the two clinical MSA phenotypes. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society