Also called: Also called: Dysautonomia
Your autonomic nervous system is the part of your nervous system that controls involuntary actions, such as the beating of your heart and the widening or narrowing of your blood vessels. When something goes wrong in this system, it can cause serious problems, including
- Blood pressure problems
- Heart problems
- Trouble with breathing and swallowing
- Erectile dysfunction in men
Autonomic nervous system disorders can occur alone or as the result of another disease, such as Parkinson's disease, alcoholism and diabetes. Problems can affect either part of the system, as in complex regional pain syndromes, or all of the system. Some types are temporary, but many worsen over time. When they affect your breathing or heart function, these disorders can be life-threatening.
Some autonomic nervous system disorders get better when an underlying disease is treated. Often, however, there is no cure. In that case, the goal of treatment is to improve symptoms.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Autonomic Nervous System(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4463
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Dysautonomia (Autonomic Dysfunction)
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dysautonomia/dysautonomia.htm
- Autonomic Nervous System Disorders(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec06/ch098666/ch098666a.html
- Autonomic Neuropathy(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/autonomic-neuropathy/DS00544/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Holmes-Adie Syndrome(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/holmes_adie/holmes_adie.htm
- Horner Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/horner-syndrome/HQ00858/METHOD=print
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Multiple System Atrophy with Orthostatic Hypotension(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/msa_orthostatic_hypotension/msa_orthostatic_hypotension.htm
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Orthostatic Hypotension(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/orthostatic_hypotension/orthostatic_hypotension.htm
- Shy-Drager Syndrome(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/shy-drager-syndrome/DS00989/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- What Is Familial Dysautonomia?(Dysautonomia Foundation) - http://www.familialdysautonomia.org/whatisfd.htm
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Autonomic Nervous System Diseases(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Autonomic+Nervous+System+Diseases%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hypotension, Orthostatic(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hypotension,+Orthostatic%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Shy-Drager Syndrome(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Shy-Drager+Syndrome%22
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Genetics Home Reference: Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=congenitalcentralhypoventilationsyndrome
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Genetics Home Reference: Dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficiency(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=dopaminebetahydroxylasedeficiency
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Genetics Home Reference: Familial dysautonomia(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=familialdysautonomia
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Prevalence and etiology of delayed orthostatic hypotension in adult women. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18760165&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Sympathetic nervous system-immune interactions in autoimmune lymphoproliferative diseases. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18667797&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18664764&tool=MedlinePlus
- Autonomic Nervous System Disorders -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=autonomic+nervous+system+diseases[majr]+OR+hypotension,orthostatic[majr]+NOT+dysautonomia,familial[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Familial dysautonomia -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=dysautonomia,familial[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+3+Years&tool=MedlinePlus
- Dysautonomia Foundation - http://www.familialdysautonomia.org/
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National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/
- Anisocoria and Horner's Syndrome(American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus) - http://www.aapos.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=68
- Neurologic Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/neurologicdiseases.html
- Peripheral Nerve Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/peripheralnervedisorders.html
- Brain and Nerves - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Autonomic Nervous System Disorders is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/