Dysautonomia

Dysautonomia, also called autonomic failure or autonomic dysfunction, is a condition in which the autonomic nervous system, the part of the nervous system that regulates involuntary body functions, stops working properly. Because the autonomic nervous system governs so many separate processes, dysautonomia can disrupt a wide range of organs and systems at once, including the heart, bladder, intestines, sweat glands, pupils and blood vessels. It has many possible underlying causes, and not every case traces back to damage in the nerves themselves. The condition is seen alongside a variety of other diseases, among them Parkinson's disease, Long COVID, multiple system atrophy, dementia with Lewy bodies, the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy, autonomic neuropathy, HIV/AIDS, mitochondrial cytopathy, pure autonomic failure, autism and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Diagnosis relies on functional testing of the autonomic nervous system focused on whichever organ system is affected, together with further investigation to identify an underlying cause where one exists. Treatment generally targets individual symptoms, although some of the diseases that cause dysautonomia can be treated directly. Severity varies enormously, ranging from a condition that is nearly symptomless and passes on its own to one that is disabling or life threatening.