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Updated: Sep 21, 2026

Quantitative Autonomic Testing
Published on: July 19, 2011
Cardiovascular and renin responses to head-up tilt tests in parkinsonism
M Plaschke1, J Schwarz, H Dahlheim
1Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Institute, Neurology, Munich, Germany.
Objectives:
We investigated cardiovascular and renin responses to head-up tilt tests in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and in controls to determine variables for the assignment of parkinsonism to the potential underlying neurologic condition.
Patients And Methods:
Sequential changes in sympathetic-mediated circulatory variables such as heart rate, blood pressure, and plasma renin concentration during head-up tilt tests were studied in 14 patients with PD and 11 patients with MSA. Twelve subjects with normal autonomic functions were studied as controls.
Results:
Head-up tilt resulted in significant differences in blood pressure and heart rate responses between PD, MSA, and controls. The baseline plasma renin concentration was significantly lower in MSA than in controls. Twenty min head-up tilt revealed significant differences in plasma renin concentration between PD, MSA, and controls.
Conclusion:
We conclude that investigating sequential changes in mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and plasma renin concentration during head-up tilt test can potentially support differential diagnosis of PD and MSA.
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