ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the role of activities of sympathetic nerve in the pathogenesis of shoulder-hand syndrome (SHS) by analyzing the hand sympathetic skin response (SSR) at the acute stage of SHS after stroke. Methods 50 stroke patients with SHS at the acute stage were assigned as SHS group, another 50 stroke patients without SHS as control group (N-SHS group) and 50 health volunteers as health group. Every patient was subjected to the detection of bilateral hand SSR. Results The detection rates of SSR in the SHS group and N-SHS group were significantly lower than that in the Health group (P 0 . 05 ) . In comparison with the health group , bilateral SSR latencies of the SHS group were longer than those of the health group (P<0.05) and bilateral SSR amplitudes were all lower than those of the health group (P<0.01). Conclusions The bilateral hand sympathetic skin responses could change at the acute stage of SHS after stroke, with possible presentations of central inhibition of sympathetic activity. The abnormality of SSR may be an early warning indicator in patients with hemiplegia after stroke complicated with SHS.