Medicine:Dysautonomia

From HandWiki
Short description: Any disease or malfunction of the autonomic nervous system
Dysautonomia
Other namesAutonomic failure, Autonomic dysfunction
The Autonomic Nervous System.jpg
The autonomic nervous system
SpecialtyNeurology
SymptomsAnhidrosis or hyperhidrosis, blurry vision, tunnel vision, orthostatic hypotension, constipation, diarrhea, anxiety, dysphagia, bowel incontinence, urinary retention or urinary incontinence, dizziness, Brain Fog, exercise intolerance, insomnia, tachycardia, vertigo, weakness and pruritus.[1]
CausesInadequacy of sympathetic, or parasympathetic, components of autonomic nervous system[2]
Risk factorsAlcoholism and Diabetes[3]
Diagnostic methodAmbulatory Blood pressure, as well as EKG monitoring[better source needed][4]
TreatmentSymptomatic and supportive[2]

Dysautonomia, autonomic failure, or autonomic dysfunction is a condition in which the autonomic nervous system (ANS) does not work properly. This may affect the functioning of the heart, bladder, intestines, sweat glands, pupils, and blood vessels. Dysautonomia has many causes, not all of which may be classified as neuropathic.[5] A number of conditions can feature dysautonomia, such as Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy, dementia with Lewy bodies,[6] Ehlers–Danlos syndromes,[7] autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy and autonomic neuropathy,[8] HIV/AIDS,[9] mitochondrial cytopathy,[10] pure autonomic failure, autism, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

Diagnosis is made by functional testing of the ANS, focusing on the affected organ system. Investigations may be performed to identify underlying disease processes that may have led to the development of symptoms or autonomic neuropathy. Symptomatic treatment is available for many symptoms associated with dysautonomia, and some disease processes can be directly treated. Depending on the severity of the dysfunction, dysautonomia can range from being nearly symptomless and transient to disabling and/or life-threatening.[11]

Signs and symptoms

The symptoms of dysautonomia, which are numerous and vary widely for each person, are due to inefficient or unbalanced efferent signals sent via both systems. Symptoms in people with dysautonomia include:


Causes

Vincristine

Dysautonomia may be due to inherited or degenerative neurologic diseases (primary dysautonomia)[5] or injury of the autonomic nervous system from an acquired disorder (secondary dysautonomia).[1][13] Its most common causes include:

In the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), predominant dysautonomia is common along with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis, raising the possibility that such dysautonomia could be their common clustering underlying pathogenesis.[24]

In addition to sometimes being a symptom of dysautonomia, anxiety can sometimes physically manifest symptoms resembling autonomic dysfunction.[25][26][27] A thorough investigation ruling out physiological causes is crucial, but in cases where relevant tests are performed and no causes are found or symptoms do not match any known disorders, a primary anxiety disorder is possible but should not be presumed.[28] For such patients, the anxiety sensitivity index may have better predictivity for anxiety disorders, while the Beck Anxiety Inventory may misleadingly suggest anxiety for patients with dysautonomia.[29]

Mitochondrial cytopathies can have autonomic dysfunction manifesting as orthostatic intolerance, sleep-related hypoventilation and arrhythmias.[10][30][31]

Mechanism

The autonomic nervous system is a component of the peripheral nervous system and comprises two branches: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). The SNS controls the more active responses, such as increasing heart rate and blood pressure. The PSNS slows down the heart rate and aids digestion, for example. Symptoms typically arise from abnormal responses of either the sympathetic or parasympathetic systems based on situation or environment.[5][32][22]

Diagnosis

Valsalva maneuver

Diagnosis of dysautonomia depends on the overall function of three autonomic functions—cardiovagal, adrenergic, and sudomotor. A diagnosis should at a minimum include measurements of blood pressure and heart rate while lying flat and after at least three minutes of standing. The best way to make a diagnosis includes a range of testing, notably an autonomic reflex screen, tilt table test, and testing of the sudomotor response (ESC, QSART or thermoregulatory sweat test).[33]

Additional tests and examinations to diagnose dysautonomia include:

Tests to elucidate the cause of dysautonomia can include:

Vegetative-vascular dystonia

Particularly in the Russian literature,[34] a subtype of dysautonomia that particularly affects the vascular system has been called vegetative-vascular dystonia.[35] The term "vegetative" reflects an older name for the autonomic nervous system: the vegetative nervous system.[citation needed]

A similar form of this disorder has been historically noticed in various wars, including the Crimean War and American Civil War, and among British troops who colonized India. This disorder was called "irritable heart syndrome" (Da Costa's syndrome) in 1871 by American physician Jacob DaCosta.[36]

Management

The H2 receptor antagonist cimetidine

Treatment of dysautonomia can be difficult; since it is made up of many different symptoms, a combination of drug therapies is often required to manage individual symptomatic complaints. In the case of autoimmune neuropathy, treatment with immunomodulatory therapies is done. If diabetes mellitus is the cause, control of blood glucose is important.[1] Treatment can include proton-pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonists used for digestive symptoms such as acid reflux.[37]

To treat genitourinary autonomic neuropathy, medications may include sildenafil (a guanine monophosphate type-5 phosphodiesterase inhibitor). To treat hyperhidrosis, anticholinergic agents such as trihexyphenidyl or scopolamine can be used. Intracutaneous injection of botulinum toxin type A can also be used in some cases.[38]

Balloon angioplasty, a procedure called transvascular autonomic modulation, is specifically not approved in the United States to treat autonomic dysfunction.[39]

Prognosis

The prognosis of dysautonomia depends on several factors; people with chronic, progressive, generalized dysautonomia in the setting of central nervous system degeneration such as Parkinson's disease or multiple system atrophy generally have poorer long-term prognoses. Dysautonomia can be fatal due to pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, or sudden cardiopulmonary arrest.[5] Autonomic dysfunction symptoms such as orthostatic hypotension, gastroparesis, and gustatory sweating are more frequently identified in mortalities.[40]

See also

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 "Autonomic Neuropathy Clinical Presentation: History, Physical, Causes". http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1173756-clinical. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Dysautonomia Information Page | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke". https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Dysautonomia-Information-Page. 
  3. "Dysautonomia | Autonomic Nervous System Disorders | MedlinePlus" (in en). https://medlineplus.gov/autonomicnervoussystemdisorders.html. 
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 [better source needed]
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Dysautonomia". NINDS. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dysautonomia/dysautonomia.htm. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Treatment of autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson disease and other synucleinopathies". Mov Disord 33 (3): 372–90. March 2018. doi:10.1002/mds.27344. PMID 29508455. 
  7. "Neurological manifestations of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome(s): A review". Iranian Journal of Neurology 13 (4): 190–208. October 2014. PMID 25632331. 
  8. "Ganglionic Acetylcholine Receptor Antibodies and Autonomic Dysfunction in Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases". Int J Mol Sci 21 (4): 1332. February 2020. doi:10.3390/ijms21041332. PMID 32079137. 
  9. "A meta-analysis of HIV and heart rate variability in the era of antiretroviral therapy". Clin Auton Res 26 (4): 287–94. August 2016. doi:10.1007/s10286-016-0366-6. PMID 27395409. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 Kanjwal, Khalil; Karabin, Beverly; Kanjwal, Yousuf; Saeed, Bilal; Grubb, Blair P. (October 2010). "Autonomic dysfunction presenting as orthostatic intolerance in patients suffering from mitochondrial cytopathy". Clinical Cardiology 33 (10): 626–629. doi:10.1002/clc.20805. ISSN 1932-8737. PMID 20960537. 
  11. "Efficacy of immunotherapy in seropositive and seronegative putative autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy". Neurology 72 (23): 2002–8. June 2009. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181a92b52. PMID 19506222. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 MedlinePlus Encyclopedia Autonomic neuropathy
  13. "Dysautonomia after pediatric brain injury". Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology 54 (8): 759–64. August 2012. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8749.2012.04322.x. PMID 22712762. 
  14. Davies, Kristen; Ng, Wan-Fai (2021). "Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome". Frontiers in Immunology 12. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.702505. PMID 34381453. 
  15. Imrich, R.; Alevizos, I.; Bebris, L.; Goldstein, D. S.; Holmes, C. S.; Illei, G. G.; Nikolov, N. P. (2015). "Predominant Glandular Cholinergic Dysautonomia in Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome". Arthritis & Rheumatology (Hoboken, N.j.) 67 (5): 1345–1352. doi:10.1002/art.39044. PMID 25622919. 
  16. "Dysautonomia: Malfunctions in Your Body's Automatic Functions". https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6004-dysautonomia. 
  17. "Dysautonomia in Sjögren's". 26 October 2023. https://sjogrens.org/blog/2023/dysautonomia-in-sjogrens. 
  18. "Dysautonomia and its underlying mechanisms in the hypermobility type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome". Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism 44 (1): 93–100. August 2014. doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2013.12.006. PMID 24507822. 
  19. Paliwal, V. K.; Garg, R. K.; Gupta, A.; Tejan, N. (2020). "Neuromuscular presentations in patients with COVID-19". Neurological Sciences 41 (11): 3039–3056. doi:10.1007/s10072-020-04708-8. PMID 32935156. 
  20. "Long COVID: mechanisms, risk factors and recovery". Experimental Physiology 108 (1): 12–27. 2023. doi:10.1113/EP090802. PMID 36412084. 
  21. "Paraneoplastic syndromes of the nervous system". http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/paraneoplastic-syndromes/basics/definition/con-20028459. 
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Acob, Lori Mae Yvette. (2021). Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction – Concussion Alliance. Retrieved 21 September 2021, from https://www.concussionalliance.org/autonomic-nervous-system-dysfunction
  23. "Orthostatic hypotension possibly caused by vincristine". Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience 9 (4): 365–366. May 2021. doi:10.1111/ncn3.12517. 
  24. "Sympathetic nervous system dysfunction in fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis: a review of case-control studies". Journal of Clinical Rheumatology 20 (3): 146–50. April 2014. doi:10.1097/RHU.0000000000000089. PMID 24662556. https://zenodo.org/record/894676. 
  25. "Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS): a diagnostic dilemma.". British Journal of Cardiology 17 (1): 36–9. 2010. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/717904_5. 
  26. Ackerman, Kurt; DiMartini, Andrea F. (2015) (in en). Psychosomatic Medicine. Oxford University Press, Incorporated. ISBN 9780199329311. https://books.google.com/books?id=C6TKBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA60. 
  27. Carr, Alan; McNulty, Muireann (2016-03-31) (in en). The Handbook of Adult Clinical Psychology: An Evidence Based Practice Approach. Routledge. ISBN 9781317576143. https://books.google.com/books?id=liXeCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA440. 
  28. Tasman, Allan; Kay, Jerald; First, Michael B.; Lieberman, Jeffrey A.; Riba, Michelle (2015-03-30) (in en). Psychiatry, 2 Volume Set. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118845479. https://books.google.com/books?id=YEkoBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA585. 
  29. "Psychiatric profile and attention deficits in postural tachycardia syndrome". Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 80 (3): 339–44. March 2009. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2008.144360. PMID 18977825. 
  30. Emanuel, Hina; Ahlstrom, Katie; Mitchell, Sarah; McBeth, Katrina; Yadav, Aravind; Oria, Carlos Flores; Da Costa, Candice; Stark, James M. et al. (2021-04-01). "Cardiac arrhythmias associated with volume-assured pressure support mode in a patient with autonomic dysfunction and mitochondrial disease". Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 17 (4): 853–857. doi:10.5664/jcsm.9024. ISSN 1550-9397. PMID 33231166. 
  31. Parikh, Sumit; Gupta, Ajay (March 2013). "Autonomic dysfunction in epilepsy and mitochondrial diseases". Seminars in Pediatric Neurology 20 (1): 31–34. doi:10.1016/j.spen.2013.01.003. ISSN 1558-0776. PMID 23465772. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23465772/. 
  32. "Autonomic Nervous System — National Library of Medicine". National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0025455/. 
  33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 33.5 33.6 33.7 33.8 "Dysautonomia: perioperative implications". Anesthesiology 116 (1): 205–15. January 2012. doi:10.1097/ALN.0b013e31823db712. PMID 22143168. 
  34. Loganovsky, Konstantin (1999). "Vegetative-Vascular Dystonia and Osteoalgetic Syndrome or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a Characteristic After-Effect of Radioecological Disaster". Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 7 (3): 3–16. doi:10.1300/J092v07n03_02. 
  35. "[State-of-the-art corrective and diagnostic technologies in medical rehabilitation of patients with vegetative vascular dystonia]". Voprosy Kurortologii, Fizioterapii, I Lechebnoi Fizicheskoi Kultury (1): 4–7. 2008. PMID 18376477. 
  36. Halstead, Megan (2018-01-01). "Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: An Analysis of Cross-Cultural Research, Historical Research, and Patient Narratives of the Diagnostic Experience". Senior Honors Theses & Projects. https://commons.emich.edu/honors/598. 
  37. "H2 Blockers. Reducing stomach acid with H2 Blockers. | Patient" (in en-GB). http://patient.info/health/h2-blockers. 
  38. "Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy". http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/473205_9. 
  39. "Safety Alerts for Human Medical Products — Balloon angioplasty devices to treat autonomic dysfunction: FDA Safety Communication — FDA concern over experimental procedures" (in en). https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/fda-concern-over-experimental-procedures-use-balloon-angioplasty-devices-treat-autonomic-dysfunction. 
  40. "Diabetic autonomic neuropathy". Diabetes Care 26 (5): 1553–79. May 2003. doi:10.2337/diacare.26.5.1553. PMID 12716821. 

Further reading

Classification