Autonomic dysfunction (sweating responses) in multiple sclerosis.

Bladder disturbances andsexual impotence are commonanddistressing disorders occurring inmultiplesclerosis. Miller, Simpson, andYeates (1965) foundbladder complaints occurring atsometimeof thedisease in78%of297patients, andin52%of themithadpersisted foroversixmonths, while sexual impotence duetophysical disease occurred in 44%oftheir patients. Although these disturbances areknowntoarise frominvolvement ofperipheral orcentral autonomic pathways (Kuntz, 1947; Bors andComarr, 1960), thelesions ofmultiple sclerosis arerestricted tothecentral nervous system and consequently theymustarise fromdisruption of central pathways. To ourknowledge nospecific study hasbeenmadeon autonomic dysfunction occurring inmultiple sclerosis. Wehave, accordingly, investigated thesympathetic nervous system inthis disease bymeansofeliciting thesweating responses toheat, todrugs, andto distension oftheurinary bladder, since these procedures areeasytocarry outandcanberepeated withconsistent results. METHOD