Sympathetic responses to hand-arm vibration and symptoms of the foot. 1994

H Sakakibara
Department of Public Health, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.

Vibration syndrome is generally considered to consist of disorders in the upper extremities which are directly exposed to vibration. However, it has been shown that vibration syndrome patients have circulatory disturbances in the foot as well: several chain-saw operators, who were little exposed to vibration of the foot, had Raynaud's phenomenon of the toes, and those with frequent attacks of vibration-induced white finger (VWF) had a higher prevalence of coldness felt in both the hands and the feet, and the patients with VWF had lower skin temperature of the toes as well as the fingers. Moreover, arterial pathological changes like medial muscular hypertrophy have been observed in both the fingers and the toes of the patients. Hand-arm vibration elicits a sympathetic nervous reflex, leading to vasoconstriction of the four extremities. Long-term repeated vasoconstriction may result in such arterial changes and then circulatory disturbances of the feet.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011928 Raynaud Disease An idiopathic vascular disorder characterized by bilateral Raynaud phenomenon, the abrupt onset of digital paleness or CYANOSIS in response to cold exposure or stress. Cold Fingers, Hereditary,Raynaud Phenomenon,Raynaud's Disease,Raynauds Disease
D005528 Foot The distal extremity of the leg in vertebrates, consisting of the tarsus (ANKLE); METATARSUS; phalanges; and the soft tissues surrounding these bones. Feet
D006225 Hand The distal part of the arm beyond the wrist in humans and primates, that includes the palm, fingers, and thumb. Hands
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001132 Arm The superior part of the upper extremity between the SHOULDER and the ELBOW. Brachium,Upper Arm,Arm, Upper,Arms,Arms, Upper,Brachiums,Upper Arms
D013564 Sympathetic Nervous System The thoracolumbar division of the autonomic nervous system. Sympathetic preganglionic fibers originate in neurons of the intermediolateral column of the spinal cord and project to the paravertebral and prevertebral ganglia, which in turn project to target organs. The sympathetic nervous system mediates the body's response to stressful situations, i.e., the fight or flight reactions. It often acts reciprocally to the parasympathetic system. Nervous System, Sympathetic,Nervous Systems, Sympathetic,Sympathetic Nervous Systems,System, Sympathetic Nervous,Systems, Sympathetic Nervous
D013577 Syndrome A characteristic symptom complex. Symptom Cluster,Cluster, Symptom,Clusters, Symptom,Symptom Clusters,Syndromes
D014732 Vibration A continuing periodic change in displacement with respect to a fixed reference. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed) Vibrations

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