Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil, 2022 · DOI: 10.46292/sci21-00063 · Published: October 1, 2022
The skin helps regulate body temperature through sweating and blood flow changes. This study investigates whether the nerves controlling sweating and blood vessel dilation in the skin are the same or different in people with spinal cord injuries. Researchers measured sweating and blood flow in individuals with tetraplegia, paraplegia, and able-bodied controls during passive heat stress to see if areas of sweating and vasodilation were in the same locations. The findings suggest that in individuals with spinal cord injuries, areas with intact sweating also have intact blood vessel dilation, indicating that these two functions are likely controlled by the same set of nerves.
Clinicians should be aware that impaired heat dissipation in SCI patients results from impaired sweating and vasodilation both above and below the neurological level of injury, especially in tetraplegia.
Patients with SCI, particularly tetraplegia, should be educated about their impaired perception of core temperature rise and the need for proactive cooling strategies.
Further investigation is needed to understand the non-AVD mechanisms contributing to minimal vasodilation in anhidrotic areas and the specific roles of adrenergic and cholinergic tones.