At Carolina Functional Neurology Center, we work with our dysautonomia patients to find the root cause of their symptoms and help them get back to living normal, healthy lives! Our Dysautonomia Program is catered to the individual, not the diagnosis. We combine all of our diagnostic and treatment modalities with our extensive knowledge and success working with dysautonomia patients. Going through our program will afford you the most up-to-date care and ensure that you are working with one of our doctors who specializes in dysautonomia. For more information, visit https://www.carolinafnc.com/dysautonomia
Dysautonomia is the term used to describe a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system regulates functions of your body that happen automatically, such as your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digestion, and temperature control. Since this system regulates a large portion of the body’s functions, a variety of symptoms can be felt when it’s not working properly. Symptoms include dizziness, fatigue, fainting, chronic pain, headaches, abnormal sweating, shakiness, breathlessness, nausea, vision issues and more. There are many types of dysautonomia, but the most common are postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), inappropriate sinus tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension and neurocardiogenic syncope.
POTS: POTS patients have tachycardia (or a fast heart rate) when standing, due to inadequate blood flow in their bodies. A comprehensive health history, physical examination and tilt table test are usually used to diagnose the syndrome. During the test, the patient lays flat on a table as their heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure is monitored. The table is then tilted up slowly. Normally your heart rate should increase by around 0-10 beats per minute as your body adjusts to standing up. For adults, if your heart rate increases by more than 30 beats than you’re diagnosed with POTS. For children and adolescents, the heart rate would increase by more than 40 beats per minute.
Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia: IST is diagnosed when a patient’s resting heart rate is over 100 beats per minute with an average 24-hour heart rate over 90 beats per minute.
Orthostatic Hypotension: If your blood pressure drops against gravity that is known as orthostatic hypotension. If your systolic, or the top number in your blood pressure, drops more than 20 mmHg or if the diastolic, the bottom number, drops more than 10 mmHg then you meet the criteria to be diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension.
Neurocardiogenic Syncope: Neurocardiogenic syncope (also known as vasovagal syncope) occurs when your heart rate and blood pressure drop and cause you to faint. This could be mild to severe in nature and may cause further issues, such as concussions, which are common among people with neurocardiogenic syncope. A tilt table test is also used in the diagnosis of neurocardiogenic syncope.