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Biomedical subjects

U Niklasson

Publications and source records attributed to U Niklasson.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Assessment of autonomic nerve function in myotonic dystrophy.

The function of the autonomic nervous system was studied in 23 patients with myotonic dystrophy, from a defined population in northern Sweden with an extremely high prevalence of this disease. Heart rate variability tests showed only minor signs of parasympathetic dysfunction. Blood pressure and plasma noradrenaline measurements in recumbent and upright positions showed no signs of sympathetic neuropathy. Increased plasma levels of noradrenaline was an unexpected finding. Our study does not support the hypothesis that cardiac arrhythmias, orthostatic hypotension, gastrointestinal motility disturbances and urinary bladder dysfunction in myotonic dystrophy are caused by autonomic neuropathy, and we believe that these symptoms should rather be ascribed to a defective function of the target organs.

Adolescent

Continuous and stepwise cystometry through suprapubic catheters--effect of infusion pattern and infusion rate on the cystometrogram of the normal human bladder.

Continuous cystometry at two filling rates (50 and 100 ml min-1) and stepwise cystometry (successive rapid volume infusions followed by bladder wall relaxation) were performed in 12 healthy subjects. Suprapubic catheters were used for infusion and recording of perivesical and intravesical pressures. The continuous cystometrograms obtained at filling rates of 50 and 100 ml min-1, respectively, did not differ with respect to desire to void, transmural pressure increase or bladder capacity. Stepwise cystometry allowed the bladders to be filled to a slightly larger volume than during continuous cystometry, but with comparatively lower transmural pressures only at very large distension of the bladder. There was considerable inter-individual variation in transmural pressure at both continuous and stepwise cystometry. Stepwise cystometry did not appear to provide any important additional information about pressure-volume relationship in the normal human bladder than could be obtained at routine clinical cystometry.

Administration, Intravesical

Autonomic neuropathy in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy. A clinical study based on heart rate variability.

Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) is characterized by both sensimotor and autonomic dysfunction. Autonomic disturbance involving the gastrointestinal tract, the urinary bladder, the cardiac conduction system, and the peripheral circulation has been described. In this study simple, non-invasive tests of autonomic function based on heart rate variability were applied to 12 patients with FAP and 12 healthy volunteers. The heart rate variation during normal breathing, deep breathing and during tilt from recumbent to standing position was measured. All tests showed significantly less heart rate variation in patients than in controls and the heart rate variation decreased with increasing severity of neurological disability, but the small number of patients in our study does not allow any further comparison between subgroups. Our study thus indicates impaired cardiovascular autonomic function in patients with FAP and we believe that these findings might also be of importance in other forms of systemic amyloidosis.

Adult