Autonomic dysreflexia

Mechanism and manifestations

Bladder distension, bowel problems or skin irritation below the injury can trigger headache, sweating or flushing. Elevation can be important relative to a normally low baseline pressure.

Diagnosis and management

This is an emergency requiring the individual medical plan and prompt assistance. Blood-pressure monitoring and trigger identification follow a formal protocol; headache in a person with spinal cord injury should not be treated as simple neck tension.

Points to consider

A neurological syndrome describes a pattern; its cause, level and evolution still need investigation. Functional consequences may change over time. New or rapidly worsening deficits need hospital assessment even when a neurological diagnosis is already known.

Role of TAGMED care

With acute symptoms, urgent hospital assessment takes priority. This condition first requires medical diagnosis and, depending on the situation, specialist management. TAGMED services do not replace treatment of infection or tumor, stabilization of an unstable injury, or neurological or vascular treatment. Any conservative support should be considered only after diagnosis, restrictions and the treating team’s recommendations have been clarified.

Related concepts and distinctions

These concepts belong to the same field, but are not synonyms.

• Neurogenic shock — Acute circulatory state caused by loss of sympathetic control, potentially combining hypotension and bradycardia after some high spinal cord injuries.
• Spasticity — Velocity-dependent increase in the response to muscle stretch, forming part of the upper motor neuron syndrome.
• Spinal shock — Period of reduced or absent reflexes and tone below an acute spinal cord injury, evolving over a variable duration.

Medical references

1. Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine. Evaluation and Management of Autonomic Dysreflexia and Other Autonomic Dysfunctions.
2. U.S. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. Spinal Cord Injuries.

References document the topic; their inclusion does not imply endorsement of TAGMED services by those organizations.