Performance of the COMPASS-31 questionnaire with regard to autonomic nervous system testing results and medication use: a prospective study in a real-life setting

Ruška, Berislav and Pavičić, Tin and Pavlović, Ivan and Junaković, Anamari and Adamec, Ivan and Crnošija, Luka and Krbot Skorić, Magdalena and Habek, Mario (2018) Performance of the COMPASS-31 questionnaire with regard to autonomic nervous system testing results and medication use: a prospective study in a real-life setting. Neurological Sciences, 39 (12). pp. 2079-2084. ISSN 1590-1874

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of the Composite Autonomic System Score-31 (COMPASS-31) questionnaire in a real-life setting in consecutive patients referred to the laboratory for objective testing of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), with the hypothesis that COMPASS-31 results differ depending on medications and findings of the tilt table test results. One hundred seventy-one consecutive patients (125 females, mean age 41.5 ± 19.3) referred for testing of the ANS were enrolled. Before testing, all patients completed the recently validated Croatian version of COMPASS-31. The following data were systematically collected for all patients: age, sex, diagnoses, and medications. Results of COMPASS-31 were significantly higher in patients taking medications with a known influence on the ANS (p < 0.001). Patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia had significantly higher orthostatic intolerance and vasomotor domains of COMPASS-31 (p = 0.048 and p = 0.022, respectively). Patients with a cardiovagal score ≥ 1 had a significantly higher vasomotor domain of COMPASS-31 compared to patients with normal results of ANS tests (p = 0.030). These findings suggest the COMPASS-31 might be a valuable screening tool for autonomic dysfunctions, as it is associated with impaired ANS tests, but usage of medications that modify the ANS should always be taken into account.

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