Occupational vascular acrosyndromes. Considerations on plethysmographic changes in the fingers resulting from postural variations of the arms: do they have diagnostic relevance or just physiopathologic significance?
Taccola, A.; Mino, D.
Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro Ed Ergonomia 22(2): 117-121
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 1592-7830 PMID: 10911552 Document Number: 512620
334 subjects all with anamnesis indicating a vascular acrosyndrome (mostly due to their working conditions) were studied using the pulsoplethysmographic method to evaluate whether a relationship exists between the absence of increases to physiological acral posture and the presence of Raynaud's disease successively induced by Cold Test. The results obtained showed marked correlation (which for some of the subgroups examined was also statistically significant) between the lack of postural regolation and abnormal or frankly phatological plethysmographic findings following the Cold Test. The results appeared to be of some relevance in the physiopathologic interpretation of vascular acrosyndromes. According to the authors, the findings constitutive further proof of the reole played by changes in the "balance of vessel motility" in maintaining district circulatory homeostasis and may indicate the prevalence of vasoconstriction over endotelially mediated vasodilation. Consequently, the adoption of a routine test to evaluate postural sphygmic changes, before the traditional Cold Test, would allow more precise diagnosis and prognosis, particularly in the area of professional angiopathies.