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- Title
Sudor Anglicus: an epidemic targeting the autonomic nervous system.
- Authors
Cheshire, William P.; van Gerpen, Jay A.; Sejvar, James J.
- Abstract
Renaissance England witnessed a series of brief epidemics of a rapid and often fatal illness, the predominant feature of which was a disturbance of the autonomic nervous system. Profuse sweating was both an emblematic and ominous sign of this Sudor Anglicus. Its story is medically fascinating as well as historically noteworthy. Possible sites of pathological involvement include the hypothalamus, serotonergic neurons in the brainstem or spinal cord, autonomic ganglia, peripheral sympathetic nerves, neuroeffector junctions, or eccrine glands. Of candidate etiologic agents, a virus is most likely, given the seasonal variation, geographic clustering, and pattern of spread of the epidemics. Hantaviruses, enteroviruses, influenza, and others provide clinical comparisons, but a definitive match with known viruses has remained elusive.
- Subjects
AUTONOMIC nervous system; AUTONOMIC ganglia; PERIPHERAL nervous system; EPIDEMICS; SPINAL cord
- Publication
Clinical Autonomic Research, 2020, Vol 30, Issue 4, p317
- ISSN
0959-9851
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10286-020-00698-x