The autonomic nervous system controls internal organs and automatic functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, movement of food through the digestive system, sweating, and more. Certain diseases can develop when these functions are not operating properly, but the symptoms of these diseases often are hard to recognize and evaluate. Objective assessment of these functions has become a standard of care.
UAB Medicine’s autonomic testing laboratory is designed to evaluate the body’s autonomic function through five specialized tests: heart rate response to deep breathing; heart rate and blood pressure responses to the Valsalva maneuver; head up tilt test (HUT); quantitative sudomotor axonal reflex testing (QSART); and thermoregulatory sweat test (TST).
Conditions diagnosed
- Amyloidosis
- Autonomic peripheral neuropathies
- Diabetic autonomic neuropathy
- Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN)
- Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS)
- Lewy body disease
- Multiple system atrophy (MSA)
- Neurogenic syncope
- Orthostatic intolerance
- Postural orthostatic hypotension
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
- Pure autonomic failure (PAF)
- Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RDS), or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
- Small fiber neuropathy
- Sweat disorders (anhidrosis/hyperhidrosis)
- Vasovagal syncope
Why UAB
Built in 2016, UAB Medicine’s autonomic testing laboratory is the newest addition to the UAB Division of Neuromuscular Disease and is part of the UAB Department of Neurology, which is consistently ranked among the top 50 neurology programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The lab features the latest and most advanced technology in the field, and our highly experienced staff includes more than 65 physicians and scientists in multiple neurological sub-specialties, all of whom collaborate extensively to deliver the highest standard of care to our patients.
How to Refer
Appointments are scheduled through the UAB Medicine electromyography lab at (205) 934-2122. Please complete and send a requisition form with all pertinent medical records and a current medication list to the address below. You also may fax the required records to (205) 975-6957.
Mailing address:
UAB Electromyography Lab
1720 7th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35233
For urgent referrals or inpatient transfers, please call UAB MIST (Medical Information Service via Telephone) at 1-800-UAB-MIST (1-800-822-6478) or email mist@uabmc.edu. UAB MIST is a toll-free, 24-hour service that connects physicians anywhere in the country with UAB Medicine specialists.
Access Your Patients’ UAB Records – UAB Ambassador
UAB Ambassador is a service that allows referring physicians to access their patients’ UAB records – including inpatient and outpatient documents, activities, and lab results – through a secure online portal.
To request access to Ambassador, click here to complete the form and return to UAB Physician Services via fax to 205.996.9107 or via email to physicianservices@uabmc.edu. For more information or questions regarding Ambassador, contact UAB Physician Services at 205.934.6890 or email physicianservices@uabmc.edu.
How to Refer
For a consultation or to refer a patient to the UAB Autonomic Testing Laboratory, complete the referral form.
For urgent referrals or inpatient transfers, call MIST.
