[Digital plethysmogram in women with climacteric disturbance after cold-water challenge test and effect of estrogen].

Immediately after a cold-water challenge test (C-W test) the pulse height to the digital plethysmogram descended (descent wave: D wave), and a congestion wave (C wave) occurred after the D wave. Then the recovery wave (R wave) continued after the C wave. The effects of estrogen on the digital plethysmogram under the C-W test are as follows. (1) The D wave was less than 25% in young women and women without climacteric disturbance. (2) The recovery rate of the C wave in young women was better than in climacteric women without climacteric disturbance. (3) The before value for A1B'1/B'1C1 in the C-W test of young women was 1.0, and the other values during the C-W test did not change significantly compared with the before values. (4) U-time rose only temporarily in the former case. In addition the recovery rate of the R wave after the administration of premarin in women with climacteric disturbance was 19.3%, and this was a significant improvement over the cases without administration. The recovery rate of the R wave in the same women after the administration of premarin and cercine increased to 48.3% (p less than 0.01). These data suggested that estrogen may be able to control the function of the autonomic nervous system in climacteric woman.