Alleviating Autonomic Dysreflexia after Spinal Cord Injury
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event sustained by our servicemembers and as many as 1.3 million Americans that results in the disruption of normal autonomic function, including cardiovascular control. Up to 70%-90% of patients who have sustained a high SCI (above thoracic level 6 of spinal cord) suffer from the serious and life-threatening complication of autonomic dysreflexia. Autonomic dysreflexia manifests as sudden and extreme hypertension that is usually triggered by an annoying noxious or non-noxious stimulus below the level of injury, frequently initiated in the bladder or bowel. It is a key contributor to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for chronically injured individuals with SCI. However, the only current treatments available to treat autononic dysreflexia are palliative and involve pharmacological vasodilators that merely help to manage the symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia after an episode has already been initiated. Thus, developing treatments to help prevent the development of this syndrome or decrease its severity is highly important.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1051149
Entities
People
- Veronica J. Tom
Organizations
- Drexel University