Method of determining the sympathetic tone and system for measurement thereof

Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the determination is performed by means of a system for measuring the applied stimulation.

Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the measuring of an applied stimulation at a threshold value of the stimulation in one or more sympathetic tone-neutral points is carried out anteriorly on the upper side of the clavicle and/or posteriorly on the spinal column corresponding to TH 10-11.

Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the measuring of an applied stimulation at a threshold value of the stimulation is carried out in one or more sympathetic tone-dependent points at one or more locations on the skin which innervationally correspond to the nerve supply to the heart of the sympathetic nervous system.

Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the measuring of an applied stimulation at a threshold value of the stimulation in one or more sympathetic tone-dependent points is carried out in one or more of the points:

• C.V. 17 in the middle of the sternum and/or St 18 between two ribs below the nipple and/or Per 1 between the nipple and the anterior axillary fold and/or on the spinal column corresponding to TH 3-6, where the most sore point of the said points are chosen.

Method of quantitative determination of sympathetic tone in a human, said method including:

• a) storage of a calibration threshold value and a stimulation threshold value, the calibration threshold value being a quantitative measure of a nociception threshold value in a sympathetic tone-neutral point on a human body and the stimulation threshold value being a quantitative measure of a nociception threshold value in a sympathetic tone-dependent point on the human body, and subsequently;
• b) calculation of an indication value of sympathetic tone by comparing the stimulation threshold value with the calibration threshold value, whereby the indication value of sympathetic tone is a measure of the sympathetic tone in the human being.

System for measuring the sympathetic tone in a human being, said system including:

• a) Memory means for storing a nociception calibration threshold value determined in a sympathetic tone-neutral point on the human body and for storing a nociception stimulation threshold value determined in a sympathetic tone-dependent point on the human body;
• b) An electronic circuit programmed to data process the nociception calibration threshold value and the nociception stimulation threshold value so as to obtain the measurement.

System (4) for measuring the sympathetic tone in a human being, said system including a pressure base (5) with a contact face (6) adapted to exert an outer compressive force on the human body, a sensor (7) for measuring the compressive force exerted by the pressure base (5) on the body, an electronic circuit adapted to store a first measured compressive force and a second measured compressive force, respectively, and to calculate a read-out value as an expression of the ratio between the first measured compressive force and the second measured compressive force and wherein the system includes a read-out unit (8) for displaying the read-out value.

Use of a system for applying and measuring a stimulation for determining the sympathetic tone including the steps of:

• measuring an applied stimulation at a threshold value of the stimulation in one or more sympathetic tone-neutral points and measuring an applied stimulation at the same threshold value of the stimulation in one or more sympathetic tone-dependent points.

Use of measurement of nociception for determining the sympathetic tone.