Autonomic dysreflexia facts for kids

Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a serious medical problem. It is also sometimes called autonomic hyperreflexia. It happens when a person's body overreacts to something that would normally not be a big deal.

Who Gets Autonomic Dysreflexia?

AD usually affects people who have had a spinal cord injury. This means their spinal cord has been damaged. The injury often needs to be high up in the back. This is usually above the sixth thoracic vertebra (T6). T6 is about the same level as your armpits.

Sometimes, AD can happen with injuries a bit lower. This could be as low as the tenth thoracic vertebra (T10). T10 is a few inches above your belly button. AD can also affect people with certain diseases. One example is multiple sclerosis (MS).

What Are the Symptoms?

When AD happens, it can cause many symptoms. Some of these symptoms can be very dangerous. They can appear suddenly.

Here are some common symptoms:

• Very high blood pressure: This is called a hypertensive emergency. A person's blood pressure can suddenly become very high. This can be dangerous. It can even lead to a stroke.
• Slow heart rate: This is called bradycardia. The heart beats too slowly. If the heart beats too slowly, the body might not get enough blood or oxygen. Every part of your body needs blood and oxygen to work.
  • If the brain does not get enough oxygen, it can be damaged. In very serious cases, a person could even die.
  • If the heart does not get enough oxygen, it might not beat normally. It could even stop beating completely.
• Bad headaches: These headaches can be very strong.
• Heavy sweating: People might sweat a lot, especially above their injury.
• Stuffy nose: Their nose might feel blocked.
• Skin flushing: The skin above the injury might look red.
• Feeling anxious: People might feel very worried or nervous.
• Thinking problems: They might have trouble thinking clearly. This is called mental confusion.

What Causes Autonomic Dysreflexia?

Acute AD happens when the autonomic nervous system gets too excited. This system controls things your body does without you thinking about it. For example, it controls your breathing and heart rate. It's like your body's "fight or flight" response goes into overdrive.

Scientists believe this happens because of certain nerves. These are called afferent nerves. Afferent nerves are supposed to sense things. They feel things like touch or pain. Then, they send messages to your brain and spinal cord. This helps your brain decide how to react.

Scientists think that afferent nerves below the spinal cord injury cause problems. They might make blood vessels get smaller. This makes blood pressure go up and stay high. This is a strong part of the fight or flight response.

See also

In Spanish: Hiperreflexia autónoma para niños