Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Quantitative Autonomic Testing
Published on: July 19, 2011
Measurement of autonomic dysregulation in multiple sclerosis
A Kodounis1, E Stamboulis, T S Constantinidis
1251 General Airforce Hospital of Athens, Aeginition University of Neurology Hospital, 401 General Army Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece. basil@hol.gr
Objective:
Patients with definite multiple sclerosis (MS) were tested for autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction using clinical symptomatology criteria and non-invasive laboratory testing. Exactly 45.45% of patients exhibited subjective symptoms of autonomic dysfunction and 42.42% of patients had abnormal laboratory tests results.
Methods:
The sympathetic ANS tests were abnormal in 30.3% of MS patients and the parasympathetic ANS tests were abnormal in 18.18% of MS patients. The most sensitive test for the presence of autonomic dysfunction was the sympathetic skin response.
Conclusion:
Autonomic dysfunction was often subclinical and we conclude that it is preferable to combine several tests for a more thorough and accurate evaluation of the ANS impairment in MS.
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