Diabetic autonomic neuropathy is a serious and common complication of diabetes whose significance has not been fully appreciated. In this study, 50 non-cardiac diabetic patients were randomly selected to serve as cases and subjected to a standardized protocol of history, examination and a battery of autonomic function tests. 70% of them tested positive for autonomic dysfunction with its inciden...

BACKGROUND Cardiomyopathy and distal symmetrical polyneuropathy (DSPN), including sensory and autonomic dysfunction, often co-occur in diabetic mellitus (DM) patients. However, the temporal relationship and progression between these two complications has not been investigated. Using a streptozotocin DM animal model that develops insensate neuropathy, our aim was to examine in parallel the devel...

Transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy (TTR-FAP) is a rare, progressive, life-threatening, hereditary disorder caused by mutations in the transthyretin gene and characterized by extracellular deposition of transthyretin-derived amyloid fibrils in peripheral and autonomic nerves, heart, and other organs. TTR-FAP is frequently diagnosed late because the disease is difficult to recognize du...

OBJECTIVES In diabetes, extended adrenergic receptor stimulation with hyperglycemia and insulin deficiency is associated with cardiac autonomic dysfunction. Clinically evident diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is associated with a poor prognosis. Research studies indicate that autonomic function tests, which are traditionally used to diagnose diabetic CAN, are less sensitive than (123...

BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major health concern, affecting nearly half the middle-age population and responsible for nearly one-third of all deaths. Clinicians have several major responsibilities beyond diagnosing CHD, such as risk stratification of patients for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and treating risks, as well as the patient. This second of a two-part review ser...