The value of sympathetic skin response in assessing the impairment of autonomic nerve in patients with chronic renal failure

Objective:To investigate the value of the changes of sympathetic skin response(SSR) in assessment of sympathetic function in patients with chronic renal failure(CRF).Methods:SSR was performed in 52 CRF patients and comparision was made with 32 healthy controls.Results:The amplitude of SSR decreased and the latency was prolonged significantly in the CRF group as compared with the control group(P0.01).The abnormality rate of SSR in the CRF group was 71%;it was 48%and 71% respectively in the upper limbs and the lower limbs of the CRF group,and 44%,74% and 94% respectively in the early kidney failure group,the kidney failure group and the uremia group.The abnormality rate of SSR among the patients in different stages of the chronic renal failure were significantly diflferent(P(0.01),)and the difference between the upper lower limbs of the patients,was also significant.The partial correlation coefficient between the course of disease and the latency of SSR,the level of blood creatinine and the latency of SSR;the course of kidney failure and the amplitude of SSR,the level of blood creainine and the amplitude of SSR;the age of the patients and amplitude of SSR,the age of the patients and the latency of SSR were 0.4732(P0.01),0.3247(P0.05),-0.3173(P0.05),(-0.3062)(P0.05),-0.4445(P0.01),0.0434(P0.05) respectively.Conclusions:SSR abnormalities reflect impairments of sympathetic system in the patients with chronic renal failure,and significant correlation were found between the course of kidney failure,the extent of kidney failure,patient age and the SSR abnormalities.SSR can be used as an objective and sensitive index in evaluating the lesions of the sympathetic system in CRF patients.