[The role of sympathetic reactivity in the development of Raynaud's syndrome].

Finger skin blood flow was studied in 131 patients with Raynaud's syndrome using laser Doppler flowmetry. Scleroderma systematica, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's disease, mixed connective tissue lesions, Raynaud's disease were diagnosed in 61, 17, 10, 10, 10 and 13 examinees, respectively. Control consisted of 20 healthy subjects. The response of the blood flow was registered in response to functional tests activating sympathetic nervous system: indirect cooling, emotional stress, deep inhalation, Valsalva's test. Hyper-response to the above sympathetic stimulation was noted in none of the groups studied. In scleroderma systematica the reactivity significantly decreased with longer disease duration. It is clear that the study did not confirm the leading role of sympathetic hyperactivity in Raynaud's syndrome pathogenesis.