TACTILE AND PAIN SENSITIVITY OF SKIN IN P ATIENTS WITH ANGINA-PECTORIS AND SILENT ISCHEMIA OF VARIOUS SEVERITY

Frequency of painless episodes of myocardial ischemia (expressed as pe rcent of total number of episodes of ischemia on 24-hour ECG) and tact ile and pain thresholds evaluated by modified technique of skin electr osensometry were determined in 45 men with ischemic heart disease and class II - III angina. Data on distribution of tactile and pain thresh olds in these patients were presented. Levels of tactile and pain thre sholds appeared to be independent values. Distribution of values of ta ctile thresholds was more symmetrical than that of pain thresholds. Am ong patients with lowest values of tactile threshold (<0,18 mA) there were more subjects with rare epidoses of painless myocardial ischemia (<25%) while among patients with high thresholds (>0,22 mA) more patie nts had frequent episodes of painless myocardial ischemia (>75%). Amon g patients with lowest pain thresholds there were also significantly m ore subjects with rare episodes of pain less myocardial ischemia (<25% ). Level of pain threshold below 1,1 mA was a significant predictor of low frequency of painless ischemia. Thus use of a modified method of skin electrosensometry allowed to predict severity of symptomless myoc ardial ischemia in patients with ischemic heart disease and angina pec toris.