Dysautonomia is an umbrella term used for autonomic nervous system (ANS) issues. Dysautonomia is a condition where the autonomic nervous does not function as it should or not function at all. It can present as a primary condition or secondary as part of an illness or different condition. Because of this, often Dysautonomia is hard to diagnose. The autonomic nervous system is complicated in that it controls everything that we can't like;
- breathing
- sweating
- heart rate
- blood pressure
- digestive tract operation
- and more..
So as you can imagine life is pretty tough with the ANS malfunctioning.
There are a few different types of Dysautonomia including:
- POTS Syndrome (postural Orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) - I have this condition
- inappropriate sinus tachycardia
- vasovagal & neuro carcinogenic syncope
- OI (Orthostatic intolerance)
- neurally mediated hypotension
- pure autonomic failure
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- other forms of autonomic failure like AAG - I have this condition
The broad symptoms that a person with dysautonomia may experience can be;
- shortness of breath
- frequent fainting
- ALOT of fatigue
- tachycardia
- palpitations
- light headedness
- ataxia
- minimal temperature regulation
- changes in sweating
- changes in breathing
- tremors
- blood pressure changes (high and low)
- nausea & vomiting
- And So much more!
The causes of Dysautonomia are numerous, most of which require treatments for them in itself. Dysautomia can be caused by a viral illness of unknown eiteology or other things like; lymes disease, autoimmune issues, diabetes, brain injury, genetic conditions, trauma and mitochondrial diseases to name a few. I'm certain that there are still many unknown triggers to Dysautonomia that are yet to be discovered.
Because of the range of severity within dysautonimia and the particular diagnosing criteria, the prognosis is very individual. Some forms of it will dissipate after a short period whilst others will carry on throughout a lifetime. Each case is unique which it's own limitations so there is no text book answer for all.
If you're further interested in Dysautonomia in general these are a good source of information:
- http://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/page.php?ID=34
- http://www.dynainc.org/dysautonomia/symptoms
More specifically I am going to focus on POTS syndrome and autonomic failure as they both effect me everyday. Both forms of my Dysautonomia are Not curable but they should get more manageable, with many people returning to full function or close to previous capabilities. A lot depends on the type of dysautonomia and the severity in which it has affected the individual.
POTS Syndrome, formally known as Postural Orthostatic Tachcardia Syndrome is an uncommon condition that can occur anywhere from the age of 14 and is five times more prevalent in females.
POTS is when a person has an abnormal increase in heart rate upon upright position. There are many causes and often it can be misdiagnosed. Symptoms vary greatly between individuals. My primary symptoms include; nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, loss of consciousness, chest pains, palpitations, shakiness, weakness and headaches to name a few.
Research indicates that most people do Not actually faint or loose consciousness, infact, less than 30% of them. However, almost all POTS people experience pre-syncope symptoms.
POTS is diagnosed using a tilt table test and meeting the set criteria of heart rate increase of up to 30> bpm or 120bpm on upright tilt within 10minutes.
POTS can be managed but not cured. A number of medications exist that help relieve symptoms and allow people to live a more active life, although each individual reacts differently so both medical and cautious self managed can be used.
There is SO much more to POTS than my very brief description so I have attached some good resources available online
- http://www.patient.co.uk/health/postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome
- http://www.medicinenet.com/pot_syndrome/page2.htm
I feel this is the best source of all with links to medical journal articles on POTS research
- http://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/page.php?ID=30
There is also a lot of info about autonomic failure. There are a few types of autonomic failure.
I have a very rare form of Dysautonomia that is known to affect 1 in 1 Million people. It is a rare autoimmune disease in which the bodies own immune system attacks & damages the autonomic ganglia receptor. The condition is called Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy & is diagnosed by having high titers to ganglionic achetylcholine receptor autoantibody. Symptoms include; chronic & severe hypotension, very very frequent fainting/loss of consciousness, bowel dys-motility, urinary retention, dry mouth and eyes and fixed and dilated pupils, to name a few. Treatments vary according to the severity of the disease, and each aspect of autonomic failure is treated accordingly.
A good brief and basic outline of the disease is
- http://www.rarediseasesnetwork.org/ARDCRC/patients/learnmore/AAG/
Here are a few good resources for AAG
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2536520/pdf/nihms56604.pdf
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=19349706
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2779006
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=22906617
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