FAMILIAL AUTONOMIC DYSFUNCTION

Abstract

Up to 1949 there had appeared several isolated case reports¹of what now seem to be examples of a definite clinical entity. This is characterized by evidences of vegetative dysfunction, such as excessive perspiration, drooling, erythematous blotching of the skin, intermittent hypertension, and defective lacrimation; hyporeflexia and emotional instability are also present. In 1949 my co-workers and I reported five illustrative cases.² Since then our experience with the condition has grown with new cases and repeated observations on old cases. Other hospitals and physicians have made available the records of additional cases, so that we are nowable to present a more definitive picture of the condition, based on a total of 33 cases. Their sources are shown in table 1. <h3>CLINICAL FEATURES</h3> In table 2 the common features are listed and their frequency in this series shown. These are arranged in two groups, the first (group A)