SynthesisClinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society2019
Sudomotor function testing by electrochemical skin conductance: does it really measure sudomotor function?
Synthesis in Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guideline: Developing a Diabetes Mellitus Comprehensive Care Plan-2022 Update.Endocrine practice : official journal of the American College of Endocrinology and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists · 2022Guideline
- Article
- Innovative strategies for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: From clinical management to emerging bioengineering solutions.Bioactive materials · 2026Review
- Sudoscan® and QSART in the composite autonomic severity scale: complementary approaches to sudomotor assessment in multiple sclerosis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026Article
- Diabetic gastroenteropathy: Associations between gastrointestinal symptoms, motility, and extraintestinal autonomic measures.Neurogastroenterology and motility · 2026Article
- Validating the usefulness of Sudoscan in ATTRv: a single centre experience.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024Article
- Task-state skin potential abnormalities can distinguish major depressive disorder and bipolar depression from healthy controls.Translational psychiatry · 2024Article
- Sudomotor dysfunction in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and its testing modalities: A literature review.Heliyon · 2023Review
- Association of electrochemical skin conductance with neuropathy in chemotherapy-treated patients.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2022Article
- Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Monitoring Identifies Earliest Signs of Autonomic Neuropathy.NeuroSci · 2022Article
- Early Detection of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Focus on Small Nerve Fibres.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Current View of Diagnosing Small Fiber Neuropathy.Journal of neuromuscular diseases · 2021Review
- Advances in Screening, Early Diagnosis and Accurate Staging of Diabetic Neuropathy.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2021Review
- Autonomic symptoms, cardiovascular and sudomotor evaluation in de novo type 1 narcolepsy.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2020Article
- Current Diagnosis and Treatment of Painful Small Fiber Neuropathy.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2019Review
- Electrochemical skin conductance to measure sudomotor function: the importance of not misinterpreting the evidence.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2019Article
- Update on the Impact, Diagnosis and Management of Cardiovascular Autonomic Neuropathy in Diabetes: What Is Defined, What Is New, and What Is Unmet.Diabetes & metabolism journal · 2019Review
- New Perspective in Diabetic Neuropathy: From the Periphery to the Brain, a Call for Early Detection, and Precision Medicine.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2019Review
- Electrochemical Skin Conductance as a Marker of Painful Oxaliplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.Neurology research international · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveElectrochemical skin conductance (ESC) is a non-invasive test of sweat function developed as a potential marker of small fiber neuropathy. Here we systematically review the evolution of this device and the data obtained from studies of ESC across different diseases.
methodsElectronic databases, including MEDLINE, and Google Scholar were searched through to February 2018. The search strategy included the following terms: "electrochemical skin conductance," "EZSCAN," and "Sudoscan." The data values provided by each paper were extracted, where available, and input into tabular and figure data for direct comparison.
resultsThirty-seven studies were included this systematic review. ESC did not change by age or gender, and there was significant variability in ESC values between diseases, some of which exceeded control values. Longitudinal studies of disease demonstrated changes in ESC that were not biologically plausible. Of the 37 studies assessed, 25 received support from the device manufacturer. The extracted data did not agree with other published normative values. Prior studies do not support claims that ESC is a measure of small fiber sensory function or autonomic function.
conclusionsAlthough many papers report significant differences in ESC values between disease and control subjects, the compiled data assessed in this review raises questions about the technique. Many of the published results violate biologic plausibility. A single funding source with a vested interest in the study outcomes has supported most of the studies. Normative values are inconsistent across publications, and large combined data sets do not support a high sensitivity and specificity. Finally, there is insufficient evidence supporting the claim that Sudoscan tests sudomotor or sensory nerve fiber function.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.