[Two years' experience in a specific autonomic nervous system service].

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Autonomic Nervous System Disorders

Background:

• Autonomic nervous system (ANS) pathologies are common but often overlooked in clinical practice.
• This study addresses the lack of specialized care for ANS disorders in the country.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the experience and findings from a dedicated ANS service over a two-year period.
• To identify common ANS pathologies and evaluate diagnostic methods.

Main Methods:

• Patients were referred to the ANS service between April 2006 and April 2008.
• Diagnostic procedures included clinical history, physical examination, and tests such as the Ewing-Clarke test, autonomic symptom profile, tilt table test, and holter monitoring.

Main Results:

• The service managed 34 new and 62 follow-up visits.
• Most frequent diagnoses included neurologically mediated syncopes and diabetic autonomic neuropathies.
• The Ewing-Clarke test and autonomic symptom profile test were found to be cost-effective.

Conclusions:

• Neurologically mediated syncopes and diabetic autonomic neuropathies are the most common conditions seen in an ANS service.
• Specialized attention is necessary for diagnosing and treating these and other autonomic pathologies.
• This represents the first dedicated ANS service of its kind in the country.