Dysautonomia is an umbrella term referring to a group of several medical conditions that cause a malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). This is the part of the nervous system that controls automatic processes or the things that one’s body does without having to think about them, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, dilation, and constriction of the pupils of the eye, kidney function, and temperature control. Dysautonomia can be acute and reversible or non-reversable, chronic and progressive.
Dysautonomias in adults often are associated with, and may
be secondary to, another disease process or a drug. Common secondary causes
include medications, chemotherapy, radiation treatments, spinal cord or head
injury, or diabetes .
Oral, head and neck cancer patients that receive radiation
as part of their treatments, can have varying degrees of scatter radiation to
these structures, and years after treatment develop some of the manifestations
of dysautonomia. When the ANS doesn’t work as it should, it can cause heart and
blood pressure problems, trouble breathing, and loss of bladder control among
other symptoms.
People living with various forms of dysautonomia have
trouble regulating some of the ANS systems, which can result in
lightheadedness, fainting, unstable blood pressure, abnormal heart rates, and malnutrition.
● Balance Problems
● Fatigue
● Nausea, Vomiting, GI Trouble
● Irregular Heart Rate and Blood
Pressure
● Fainting/ Loss of Consciousness
● Lightheadedness, Dizziness,
Vertigo
● Brain Fog/ Forgetfulness
● Exercise intolerance
Patients with autonomic disorders
usually require a multi-disciplinary team, as autonomic disorders can impact
almost every organ and system of the body. While each specialist will have his
or her own areas of expertise, it is still important for each member of the
patient’s team to be familiar with the most up-to-date information on the
patient’s autonomic disorder.
There is no cure for
dysautonomia. Secondary forms of dysautonomia may improve with treatment of the
underlying disease. The best that can be done is to deal with the various
manifestations of it and their individual symptoms. Treating symptomology is not
the same as treating the disease and is a coping mechanism not a cure.
Lifestyle changes will be necessary for many of the symptoms to be reduced or
mitigated.
Read more about dysautonomia at https://thedysautonomiaproject.org/dysautonomia/
