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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Neurocirculatory asthenia: a reassessment using modern psychosomatic criteria.

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of mental illness and to evaluate the quality of life of patients with neurocirculatory asthenia. A consecutive series of 80 patients who satisfied the diagnostic criteria developed by Kannel et al. for neurocirculatory asthenia was included in this study. Patients underwent a psychiatric diagnostic research interview and extensive psychometric evaluation, with both observer and self-rated scales for depression, anxiety, phobic symptoms, quality of life and abnormal illness behavior. In 47 patients (59%), a psychiatric diagnosis (mainly an anxiety disorder) antedated the onset of neurocirculatory asthenia, which was thus defined as secondary, also because cardiorespiratory symptoms were part of the mental symptoms. In the remaining 33 patients (41%) neurocirculatory asthenia was the primary disorder. Patients with secondary neurocirculatory asthenia reported significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, social phobia, abnormal illness behavior and an impaired quality of life compared with patients with primary neurocirculatory asthenia. This latter did not significantly differ in these variables (except for depression) from healthy control subjects matched for sociodemographic variables. At a 1-year follow-up, patients with primary neurocirculatory asthenia had a much better prognosis than those with secondary neurocirculatory asthenia. The results indicate the feasibility of the primary/secondary distinction based on the time of onset of mental and cardiorespiratory symptoms in neurocirculatory asthenia. Since only about one quarter of the patients were found to suffer from decreased energy and fatigue according to specified criteria, the terms neurocirculatory asthenia and effort syndrome should probably be discarded.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Neurocirculatory asthenia and mitral valve prolapse--two unrelated entities?

Patients with neurocirculatory asthenia share common symptoms with patients having evidence of mitral valve prolapse. A link between these two conditions has been suggested but never documented. We have evaluated the prevalence of mitral valve prolapse among 42 young soldiers suffering from the neurocirculatory asthenia syndrome, using auscultation and echocardiography to detect the mitral abnormality. Four of the 42 subjects with neurocirculatory asthenia had both auscultatory and ultrasonic evidence of mitral valve prolapse. Since a similar prevalence of mitral valve prolapse has been reported among populations of presumably healthy young males or females, we conclude that mitral valve prolapse and neurocirculatory asthenia do not appear to be related.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Life events and neurocirculatory asthenia. A controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the occurrence of stressful life events in the year before the onset of neurocirculatory asthenia. DESIGN: Case-control retrospective study. SETTING: A university medical outpatient clinic. SUBJECTS: A consecutive series of 50 patients with neurocirculatory asthenia and a control group of 50 healthy subjects, matched for sociodemographic variables, were studied. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events (a semistructured research interview covering 64 life events) was administered to patients and controls. RESULTS: Patients with neurocirculatory asthenia reported significantly more stressful life events than the control group (P < 0.05) and had significantly more of the following: exits (P < 0.05), undesirable (P < 0.05) and uncontrolled (P < 0.01) events. More events that had an objective negative impact (P < 0.001) and more independent events (P = 0.07) were also reported. Ratings of impact and independence were carried out by a blind rater who was unaware whether the event had occurred in patients or controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results are suggestive of a strong relationship between stressful life events and neurocirculatory asthenia. This is in agreement with a multifactorial model of pathogenesis in neurocirculatory asthenia and with current understanding of the extensive links of behavioral responses to stress with neurophysiological and biochemical processes.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Da Costa's syndrome or neurocirculatory asthenia.

The syndrome variously called Da Costa's syndrome, effort syndrome, neurocirculatory asthenia, etc has been studied for more than 100 years by many distinguished physicians. Originally identified in men in wartime, it has been widely recognised as a common chronic condition in both sexes in civilian life. Although the symptoms may seem to appear after infections and various physical and psychological stresses, neurocirculatory asthenia is most often encountered as a familial disorder that is unrelated to these factors, although they may aggravate an existing tendency. Respiratory complaints (including breathlessness, with and without effort, and smothering sensations) are almost universal, and palpitation, chest discomfort, dizziness and faintness, and fatigue are common. The physical examination is normal. The aetiology is obscure but patients usually have a normal life span. Reassurance and measures to improve physical fitness are helpful.

Eponyms↗
PubMed1980

Electrocardiographic characteristics of neurocirculatory asthenia during everyday activities.

We describe the electrocardiographic changes during everyday activities recorded by ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring in 67 patients with neurocirculatory asthenia. The findings were compared with the results of ambulatory monitoring in 33 healthy controls. We observed episodes of sinus tachycardia > 120/min unrelated to effort in 60 of the patients, 35 had frequent episodes of pronounced sinus arrhythmia, 16 showed transient ST depression, and six transient ST elevation. All these changes appeared during the patients' routine activities, without any unusual exertion and frequently at rest. Periods of sinus tachycardia and sinus arrhythmia were recorded from the patients during sleep. Cardiac arrhythmias, especially ventricular premature beats, were also much more common in those with neurocirculatory asthenia than in the control subjects. These findings indicate that ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring provides important information on the electrocardiographic characteristics of patients with neurocirculatory asthenia and helps to establish this diagnosis in obscure cases.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1997

[Intracranial electrical stimulation in the treatment of neurocirculatory asthenia and essential hypertension].

The treatment of neurocirculatory asthenia and essential hypertension stage I and II with low-frequency bioresonance intracranial electrostimulation (BIES) performed on portable two-channel unit SEM-02 led to uneventful sthenic condition, relief of headache, improved sleep and performance, exercise tolerance. The quality of the bioenergetic field advanced in all the patients. Low-energy BIES may be used in many diseases, provides fast therapeutic effect in minimal intake of drugs, is nontoxic and hypoallergic. The unit SEM-02 proved 2.6 and 1.41 times more effective than similar domestic and foreign equipment, respectively.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Blood pressure reactivity in patients with neurocirculatory asthenia.

The hemodynamic reactions of 30 young men with neurocirculatory asthenia (NCA) were compared to those of 30 healthy controls in isometric handgrip test, orthostatic test, and cold pressor test in order to study the regulation of the central circulation of NCA patients. The measurements were made using sphygmomanometry, ECG, and impedance cardiography. In the isometric handgrip test the heart rate and the diastolic and mean blood pressure increased slightly more (P less than 0.05) in the NCA group than in the controls. In the NCA group the blood pressure rise was, on average, due to an increase in the peripheral vascular resistance, while in the control group it was caused by an elevation in the cardiac output. In the orthostatic and cold pressor tests the hemodynamic alterations were quite similar in the two groups. It is concluded that the NCA patients have in the orthostatic and cold pressor tests a normal ability to elevate the blood pressure by increasing the peripheral vascular resistance. The lack of rise in the cardiac output during the isometric handgrip test in the NCA group is an abnormal reaction, the reason of which remains to be studied.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Neurocirculatory asthenia revisited: elevated arterial pressure at presentation is a marker for subsequent hypertension.

Neurocirculatory asthenia (NCA) is a fairly common functional disorder often encountered among military recruits. Symptoms in NCA tend to appear in waves, and are believed to disappear completely with the passage of time. Elevated arterial pressure is known to occur as part of the various haemodynamic manifestations of NCA. However, the exact prevalence of hypertension, as well as its long-term prognosis, is still unknown. The present case-control study was designed to address these two issues. The target population consisted of 370 patients with NCA representing two separate cohorts: patients diagnosed in 1979, 10 years prior to this study, and patients diagnosed in 1983-84, 5 years prior to the study. An overall 20% prevalence rate of mild hypertension at diagnosis was calculated for the entire study population. In total, 100 patients representing equal numbers of hypertensive and matched normotensive subjects from each cohort were re-evaluated. At follow-up, hypertension was present in 27% (1979 cohort) and 30% (1983-84 cohort) of patients originally considered to be hypertensive. Hypertension was either non-existent (1979 cohort) or limited to a single case (1983-84 cohort) among originally normotensive individuals. In parallel, resting heart rate was higher in the hypertensive subjects of the 1979 cohort both at presentation (85.5 +/- 3.2 vs. 73.7 +/- 2.4 beats min-1; P less than 0.005) and at follow-up (79.6 +/- 3.2 vs. 70.0 +/- 2.5 beats min-1; P less than 0.01). These results indicate that hypertension complicates the diagnosis of NCA in 20% of patients and that, contrary to common belief, it cannot be regarded as another transient manifestation of this condition. Thus hypertension in this context is, as in the younger members of the population in general, a major risk factor for lifelong hypertension, rather than an inconsequential phenomenon.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Immune status of patients with chronic bronchitis and neurocirculatory asthenia].

AIM: To study changes in immune system of patients with various forms of chronic bronchitis (CB) and neurocirculatory asthenia (NCA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Neurological and immunological examinations were made in 84 patients with CB exacerbation and 51 control subjects. RESULTS: It was found that 60% of CB patients had NCA. No negative effects of NCA on immune system in CB patients were registered. Suppression of immune system and secondary immunodeficiency occurred more frequently in CB patients without signs of NCA. 40% of CB patients had vagotonic NCA in which immunological disorders manifested most clearly. CONCLUSION: Vegetative disorders in CB patients do not affect immunological system. Functional testing of autonomic nervous system is suggested for prediction of immune system condition.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Analytical studies on neurocirculatory asthenia and related diseases using psychological and cardiovascular parameters.

In order to analyze the nature of the cardiovascular complaints in neurocirculatory asthenia (NCA) and related diseases, 83 cases were studied on the basis of the results of psychological tests (Cornell Medical Index and Yatabe-Guilford test) and cardiovascular and respiratory parameters. Almost all of the patients with normal psychological test results had abnormalities in one or more of the following: blood pressure, pulse rate, cardiac index, TII in the standing position, and cardiothoracic ratio. The data suggest that the cardiovascular complaints of the normal psychological test group can be attributed to somatic factors, especially to a small size of the heart. On the other hand, the group with psychological abnormalities had hearts of normal sizes, a less marked lowering of TII in the standing position, but markedly abnormal respiratory patterns. This indicates that the respiratory abnormalities seen in this group are likely to be the symptoms of cardiac psychoneurosis.

Adolescent↗