Dysautonomia (Dis-auto-NO-mia) is a general term used to describe any disorder of the autonomic (or automatic nervous) system. These disorders usually involve abnormal symptoms in many organ systems, including cardiac, gastrointestinal, neurological, and pulmonary, as well as others. Dysautonomia, an invisible illness, may be one of the most misdiagnosed medical conditions of all time. The biggest problem in autonomic medicine today is the lack of knowledge about dysautonomia in communities and especially community based healthcare professionals.

Dysautonomias are classified as any kind of dysfunctions of the autonomic nervous systems. The dysfunction can be primary or can be a secondary condition associated with another disease process happening. The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that regulates functions that happen automatically or that you don’t have to think about like heart rate, BP regulation (especially changing from a supine to a standing posture), digestion, excretion, sweating and temperature regulation, blinking and pupil dilation, brain fog, sensory hypersensitivities and neuropathies. These dysfunctions can be mild, disabling, and/or even life threatening. The most important challenge is to find a local healthcare professional who is educated on dysautonomia or is willing to become educated in order to channel the patient to the right healthcare professional or facility for the best treatment options that are currently available.

There is no cure but underlying conditions need to be diagnosed and the symptoms from the dysautonomias have to be managed.