Autonomic dysreflexia in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

Abstract

Autonomic dysreflexia occurs in patients with spinal cord injury, and is characterized by unbalanced sympathetic discharge, precipitated by noxious stimuli from a site below the spinal cord lesion. An 11-year-old boy with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis and spinal cord involvement manifested episodes of intense flushing and sweating, confined to the head and neck region, and associated with hypertension and tachycardia. His signs improved after changing a partly blocked bladder catheter. The clinical features suggested autonomic dysreflexia. Early recognition of autonomic dysreflexia is important because removal of the trigger precipitating the event may be life-saving.