- When your body goes off autopilot
- MakatiMed breaks down the basics of dysautonomia
In 2017, pop icon Solange Knowles had to cancel her appearance at a music festival due to what she later revealed was a disease she’d been battling for over a year: dysautonomia.
If it sounds familiar, you may have come across it before on the TV show House, or when the daughter of Grey’s Anatomy star Chandra Wilson was diagnosed with the condition. However, many people remain unaware of the extent of this disease and most patients take years to get diagnosed.
Leading hospital in the Philippines, Makati Medical Center, gets into what dysautonomia is and what we should look out for.
Dysautonomia is a general term for a variety of medical conditions that cause a malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System. The ANS is responsible for parasympathetic or automatic functions of the body one normally doesn’t have to think about.
“There are things that our body does on autopilot, such as regulate our heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature regulation,” says Paul Quetua, MD of Department of Cardiology. “While the ANS is often taken for granted, its dysfunction can be fatal.”
Although it can occur as a primary hereditary condition, it may also be associated with diseases like Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Systemic lupus erythematosus. Different forms of dysautonomia include Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which causes chest pains, shortness of breath, and exercise intolerance; Neurocardiogenic Syncope (NCS), which causes fainting spells that can lead to fall-related injuries and traumatic brain damage; and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a rare, high mortality-rate neurodegenertive disorder.
Symptoms of dysautonomia may seem invisible to a casual observer. Patients may experience varying intensities of fast heart rates, fluctuating blood pressure, dizziness, migraines, and stomach pain, which when escalated, may severely affect their quality of life.
Secondary forms of dysautonomia can improve with treatment of the underlying disease, but primary dysautonomia often calls for treatment plans that alleviate the individual symptoms that are presented. Because the disease can vary greatly from case to case, there is no one-size-fits-all course of treatment for dysautonomia.
“It must be based on the specific condition, its sub-type, and the patient’s specific needs,” adds Dr. Quetua. “While a true cure for this debilitating disease has yet to be found, a holistic approach to the condition that contributes to an overall healthier lifestyle goes a long way in helping patients with dysautonomia lead fuller lives.”
For more information, please contact MakatiMed On-Call at +632.8888 999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph.
