What is Dysautonomia?

Did you know that Dysautonomia is considered to be a rare disease when in actuality it is not? Instead it is rarely known about and therefore falsely categorized. It is reported that somewhere around 500,000 people are affected however the number is thought to be much higher. It is thought that a large number of people are still undiagnosed due to the obscurity that these conditions still has. It primarily affects young women however it also affects men and other individuals as well. The onset of the condition is thought to be either gradual or sudden and the factors resulting in each is not yet understood.
While Dysautonomia may sound like a fancy medical term, it is actually very general in definition. It simply means dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system.  In people who suffer from this, the autonomic nervous system becomes out of balance and results in inappropriate responses of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Not only does it result in failure of the ANS it can also result in over activity as well.   Dysatutonomia can affect one or both, this results in a wide variety of symptoms. These symptoms can include but are not limited to the following:

Bradycardia	Delayed Reaction
Tachycardia	Difficulty Thinking
Lightheadedness	Confusion
Dizziness	Irritability
Syncope	Mood Swings
Pre-Syncope	Nausea
Hypovolemia (low blood volume)	Vomiting
Blood Pooling	Dysphagia (Difficulty Swallowing)
Hypotension (low blood pressure)	Diarrhea
Hypertension (high blood pressure)	Constipation
Reduced Pulse Pressure	Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Shortness of Breath	Polyuria (Excessive Urination)
Hyperventilation	Bloating
Exercise Intolerance	Feeling Full Quickly
Anxiety	Loss of Appetite
Panic Attacks	Headaches
Nervousness	Migraines
Chronic Fatigue	Restless Leg Syndrome
Generalized Weakness	Burning and Tingling
Memory Loss	Chest Pain
Forgetfulness	Neck Pain
Swollen Lymph Nodes	Abdominal Pain
Poor Balance	Back Pain
Abnormal Gait	Muscles Aches
Detached Feeling	Joint Pain
Pupil Abnormalities	Clamminess
Blurred Vision	Reduced Sweating
Tunnel Vision	Excessive Sweating
Floaters	Flushing
Trembling	Cold Intolerance
Easily Over stimulated	Heat Intolerance
Sleeping Disorders	Cold Extremities
Sensitivity to Light	Chills
Sensitivity to Noise	Weight Loss
Sensitivity to Chemicals	Weight Gain
Sensitivity to Medications	Loss of Sex Drive
Sensitivity to Motion	Irregular Menstrual Cycles
Sensitivity to Food	Depression

The symptoms experienced by dysautonomia sufferers are unpredictable and can vary hour to hour. One hour they can feel perfectly fine and the next be nearly incapacitated by there symptoms. Suffers often find it hard to explain their symptoms to others as they are always changing.

Known Causes

Causes of Dysautonomia’s include viral illnesses, genetic factors, exposure to chemicals, pregnancy, trauma or injury, and traumatic emotional experiences which damage the autonomic nervous system.

Treatment

There is no cure for Dysautonomia. Treatment for those with primary dysautonomia varies depending upon each patient. Symptoms can usually be controlled by using a combination of medications along with fluid and salt intake. Those with secondary dysautonomia are treated by proper control of their primary underlying condition.

Prognosis

Prognosis depends greatly on the diagnosis. For example, those with conditions such as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) generally respond well to treatment or are at least provided some relief. Their conditions are also considered to be life altering, but certainly not life threatening. However patients with chronic, progressive, generalized dysautonomia such as multiple symptoms atrophy (MSA) generally have a poor long term prognosis which can result in death from cardiac arrest, pneumonia, and acute respiratory failure.

Doctors and Dysautonomia

Presently doctors are slowly beginning to recognize dysautonomia as a true condition. Sadly, not all doctors believe this condition actually exists and will send their patient to undergo unnecessary psychiatric evaluations or even ignore them all together. These things in themselves can cause undue psychological and emotional trauma as the patient begins to think they have no where to turn. While you maybe discouraged by what a particular doctor may tell you, do not give up hope. You are the only person who truly knows how you feel and you do not deserve to suffer due to lack of knowledge or understanding of others.