For 23 male and 12 female patients with vibration syndrome the plasma and urinary catecholamineconcentrations, the skin temperature, the effects of the nail compression test at room temperature, and the recoveryrates of the skin temperature and nail compressiontest after cold provocation wereinvestigated before and after hospital treatment. The aim was to evaluate the effect of five weeks` hospital treatment on the autonomic nervous balance of patients with vibration syndrome. The plasma norepinephrine concentration tended to decreasein the femalepatients after the treatment. A decreasein the plasma epinephrine concentration and in the variation between the plasma epinephrine levels during the day were found after the treatment. The total urinary dopamineconcentrationdecreasedsignificantly in the patients after the treatment. The recovery rates of the skin temperatureafter the cold provocationshowed a tendency to increaseafter the treatment. These results s-uggest an improvement in the blood circulation of the subjects` hands. The decreases in catecholamine concentration and the variation in the epinephrine levels may have played a role in the improvement of the blood circulation of the patients after the treatment.

Key terms dopamine; epinephrine; hospital treatment; norepinephrine; patient; plasma catecholamine concentration; skin temperature; urinary catecholamine concentration; vibration syndrome