Autonomic Dysreflexia

What Is Autonomic Dysreflexia?

Autonomic dysreflexia is a serious medical problem that can happen if you’ve injured your spinal cord in your upper back. It makes your blood pressure dangerously high and, coupled with very low heartbeats, can lead to a stroke, seizure, or cardiac arrest.

This happens when your autonomic nervous system -- which controls things like breathing and digestion that you do without thinking -- overreacts to something below the damaged spinal cord. It’s sometimes called hyperreflexia. More than half of people with a spinal cord injury in the upper back get it.

Autonomic dysreflexia is an emergency and needs immediate medical attention. It can be life-threatening.

You can get autonomic dysreflexia if you’ve injured your spinal cord around the bottom of the shoulder blades or above. You can lose feeling and muscle control below the damaged spot. But the nerves there still try to send signals back to the brain. That can make your body do the wrong thing.

For example, your blood vessels may react to the faulty signals and become narrower, which makes your blood pressure go up. Your brain tries to lower your blood pressure, but its message can’t get past the damaged part of the spinal cord. High blood pressure can give you a heart attack or a stroke.

Autonomic Dysreflexia Symptoms

The first signs of autonomic dysreflexia usually are a flushed feeling or a pounding headache. You also may have:

• Heavy sweating
• Anxiety
• Slow heart rate
• Blurry vision
• Dilated pupils
• Goosebumps on the lower body
• Trouble breathing
• Stuffy nose
• Confusion or anxiety

Autonomic Dysreflexia Causes

Something as simple as a full bladder or an ingrown toenail can be enough to send your nerve responses into overdrive. Other things that can set off the condition include:

• Constipation
• Kidney stones
• Urinary tract infection
• Inserting a catheter, a medical tube
• Hemorrhoids
• Irritated or blistered skin
• Pressure sores
• Sunburn or hot water burns
• Pressure on the scrotum
• Sexual stimulation
• Menstrual cramps
• Tight clothing

Autonomic Dysreflexia Diagnosis

Your doctor will measure your blood pressure while they figure out what triggered your autonomic dysreflexia episode. They’ll check your bladder and bowels, since fullness or a blockage there is usually the cause of the problem.

You may need imaging tests, like X-rays or an ultrasound, or lab tests on your blood or urine.