Vascular responses in the hands of Parkinson's disease patients

The response of oral temperature and hand heat elimination to the placement of one arm in a water bath at 44°C was studied in normal women of different ages and in parkinsonian patients with or without levodopa therapy. The patients, whether or not receiving medication, had very low heat eliminations compared with the controls. In two patients with unilateral disease, the vascular responses in the affected hand were reduced in comparison with those in the unaffected side. These findings suggest that there is an abnormality of vascular control in Parkinson's disease caused by autonomic dysfunction, either in the central nervous system or efferent sympathetic pathways.