“10 Facts About Dysautonomia” From Dysautonomia International

This blog has numerous posts on autonomic dysfunction. To access them, type dysautonomia in the search box.

Today, I post “10 Facts About Dysautonomia” From Dysautonomia International.

1. Dysautonomia is pronounced dis’-oughta-know’-me-uh. Dysautonomia is a group of neurological
   conditions that impact over 70 million people around the world.
2. Dysautonomia means “dysfunction” of the “autonomic nervous system.” The autonomic nervous system
   controls all of your involuntary bodily functions like your heart rate, breathing, maintaining proper blood
   pressure, digestion, sleep cycles, body temperature control, sweating and more.
3. There are many different types of dysautonomia, including, but not limited to, neurocardiogenic
   syncope, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, orthostatic
   hypotension, autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy, pure autonomic failure, and multiple system
   atrophy.
4. Dysautonomia can also occur secondary to other diseases. Diseases that commonly cause autonomic
   nervous system dysfunction include all types of diabetes, Sjögren’s syndrome, celiac disease, multiple
   sclerosis, and Parkinson’s.
5. Due to the malfunctioning of the autonomic nervous system in people with dysautonomia, symptoms
   can include tachycardia (a heart rate that is too fast), bradycardia (a heart rate that is too slow), poor
   blood flow to the heart, brain and other organs, chest pains, lightheadedness, fainting, nausea, a
   gastrointestinal tract that moves too fast or too slow, blood pooling in the extremities, shaking, too
   much or too little sweating, cognitive impairments (“brain fog”), headches, and much more.
6. Some, but not all, dysautonomia symptoms can be minimized by laying the patient down. This helps
   restore normal blood flow to the brain and chest area. This is why it can be so difficult for dysautonomia
   patients to stand sometimes.
7. Dysautonomia comes with a wide range of disability – from mild, to very disabling, to death in rare cases.
   While some dysautonomia patients can continue with work, school and social activities, many cannot,
   even with the best treatment currently available.
8. Some dysautonomia patients will get better over time, by either learning to manage their symptoms
   better, or by actually recovering from the illness. However, some remain sick with dysautonomia
   indefinitely, and some progressively get worse.
9. Many dysautonomia patients experience years of diagnostic delay, and have difficulty finding physicians
   to treat their dysautonomia once they are diagnosed, because most doctors have not received training
   on how to diagnose and treat autonomic nervous system disorders.
10. Dysautonomia International is the leading non-profit that advocates for individuals living with
    dysautonomia through research, physician education, public awareness, advocacy, and patient
    empowerment programs.