Abstract
A cooling system (Mark VII Microclimate System) was used to give six thermosensitive multiple sclerosis patients two 45-minute daily coolings for a period of one month. Before the first cooling, a baseline clinical and electrophysiological examination was performed. The same tests were repeated after the first application and after the thirtieth cooling day, thus providing information relating to acute and chronic efficacy. A clinical improvement was observed after both acute and, more unexpectedly, chronic cooling, whereas a significant improvement in central somatosensory conduction was recorded only under acute conditions. Our data suggest that cooling with this device leads to an improvement in some functional performances (mainly fatigue and strength) of about two hours' duration in thermosensitive patients.
Sommario
Abbiamo applicato un semplice sistema di raffreddamento (Mark VII Microclimate System) a sei casi di sclerosi multipla (SM) termosensibili, con due sedute giornaliere di 45 minuti ciascuna, per la durata di un mese. La prima seduta è stata preceduta da una valutazione clinica ed elettrofisiologica completa ripetuta dopo il primo raffreddamento e dopo il trentesimo giorno di applicazione, ottenendo quindi informazioni di efficacia in “acuto” e in “cronico”.
Un miglioramento clinico soggettivo e obiettivo è stato rilevato sia dopo la prima applicazione che dopo il raffreddamento cronico, mentre, fra i parametri elettrofisiologici, soltanto le latenze dei potenziali evocati somestesici da stimolazione del nervo tibiale posteriore sono diminuite in maniera statisticamente significativa in “acuto”.
I nostri dati suggeriscono che il sistema di raffreddamento applicato ai casi di SM termosensibili quò determinare il miglioramento di alcuni sintomi, soprattutto spasticità, per una durata media di due ore.
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Capello, E., Gardella, M., Leandri, M. et al. Lowering body temperature with a cooling suit as symptomatic treatment for thermosensitive multiple sclerosis patients. Ital J Neuro Sci 16, 533–539 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02282911
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02282911