Instituut voor Neuropathische Pijn
English articles Diagnosis of CAN, cardiac autonomous neuropathy
| Diagnosis of CAN, cardiac autonomous neuropathy |
|
Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy is a specific variety of autonomic neuropathy you can find in patients suffering from diabetic neuropathy.
Korean doctors developed a new tool to investigate autonomous neuropathy and this might become a diagnostic tool too. in their paper 'A pharmacologic pupillary test in the diagnosis of diabetic autonomic neuropathy' screened patients for diabetic autonomic neuropathy via testing the reaction of the pupil using 0.5% apraclonidine and 0.1% pilocarpine drops and evaluated the pupillary test in patients suffering from cardiovascular autonomic neuropathies. The study was conducted in 22 patients. Half of all patients Eleven had positive apraclonidine tests, but only two patients had positive pilocarpine tests. Patients who had a positive pupillary test had a significantly higher rate of positive hart function abnormalities.There was also a significant correlation between pupillary autonomic neuropathy and cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN). The study was conducted by Dr H.J. Kwon and colleagues, National Health Insurance Corporation Ilsan Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology (see also Diabetes Therapy). The researchers concluded: "A simple pharmacologic pupillary test can help manage complications in diabetic patients because patients with pupillary autonomic dysfunction have an increased risk of CAN." The test still lacks enough specificity and especially sensitivity to be used broadly. Source:H.J. Kwon et al. A pharmacologic pupillary test in the diagnosis of diabetic autonomic neuropathy. Korean Journal of Ophthalmology, 2009;23(4):291-5. April 2010, Jan M. Keppel Hesselink, MD, PhD |