What is the autonomic dysreflexia?
Autonomic dysreflexia is a condition that emerges after a spinal cord injury, typically when the damage has occurred at or above the T6 level. The higher the level of the spinal cord injury, the greater the risk, with up to 90% of patients with cervical or high-thoracic spinal cord injury being susceptible. Autonomic dysreflexia is a disorder of autonomic nervous system dysregulation that occurs in patients with a spinal cord injury and that can result in life-threatening hypertension. It occurs in 20to 70% of patients, 1 month to 1 year after spinal cord injury.Autonomic dysreflexia is a potentially life-threatening condition with a mortality rate of 22%, increasing stroke risk by 3 to 4 times.How is autonomic dysreflexia treated? The first step of treatment for AD is to sit the person upright with their legs dangling and remove any tight clothing or constrictive devices. This will help lower their blood pressure. Most episodes of AD go away once you remove the trigger (stimulus).Call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical care if symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia don’t get better right away. If you or a caregiver can’t treat it promptly and correctly, it may lead to seizures, stroke, and even death.Autonomic Dysreflexia Treatments If you don’t know what your triggers are or you can’t figure out what’s causing this episode, call 911 and go to the ER right away. You will need emergency treatment with fast-acting drugs, such as nitrates, hydralazine, labetalol, or nifedipine, to lower your blood pressure.
What is another name for autonomic dysreflexia?
Autonomic Dysreflexia (AD), also called autonomic hyperreflexia, is the product of dysregulation of the autonomic system, leading to an uncoordinated response to a noxious stimulus below the level of a spinal cord injury. There are ways you may be able to treat autonomic dysreflexia at home. Sit up straight, or raise your head so you are looking straight ahead. If you can lower your legs, do so. You need to be sitting upright until your blood pressure is back to normal.If you are experiencing an episode of Autonomic Dysreflexia First, you should get into a sitting position or elevate your head as much as possible. Changing position can drop your blood pressure.How is autonomic dysreflexia treated? The first step of treatment for AD is to sit the person upright with their legs dangling and remove any tight clothing or constrictive devices. This will help lower their blood pressure. Most episodes of AD go away once you remove the trigger (stimulus).
What is the most serious danger in autonomic dysreflexia?
If left untreated, autonomic dysreflexia can cause seizures, retinal hemorrhage, pulmonary edema, renal insufficiency, myocardial infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, and, ultimately, death. Complications associated with autonomic dysreflexia result directly from sustained, severe peripheral hypertension. Seizures are a little-recognized component of the syndrome of autonomic dysreflexia. Three patients who exhibited seizures during episodes of dysreflexia independent of intracerebral pathology are described.Autonomic nervous system disorders can occur alone or as the result of another disease, such as Parkinson’s disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, alcohol abuse, or diabetes.
What is the immediate action for autonomic dysreflexia?
If you are experiencing an episode of Autonomic Dysreflexia First, you should get into a sitting position or elevate your head as much as possible. Immediately elevate the patient’s head off the bed or place them in an upright sitting position to help decrease the elevated blood pressure. Determine the noxious stimuli causing the autonomic dysreflexia and alert the medical team. Removing the noxious stimuli will help resolve autonomic dysreflexia.
What is a normal blood pressure for autonomic dysreflexia?
An individual with a spinal cord injury above T6 typically has a normal systolic Blood Pressure (BP) in the 90-110mmHg range. Therefore, a BP of 20-40mmHg above baseline may be a sign of Autonomic Dysreflexia (NB: Autonomic Dysreflexia has occurred in patients with lesions at T8 and above). If left untreated, autonomic dysreflexia can cause seizures, retinal hemorrhage, pulmonary edema, renal insufficiency, myocardial infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, and, ultimately, death. Complications associated with autonomic dysreflexia result directly from sustained, severe peripheral hypertension.