Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2008 , Vol 54 , Num 2

Autonomic Disfunctions in Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury

Ayşe Nur Bardak 1 ,Belgin Erhan 2 ,Berrin Gündüz 2
1 İstanbul Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Eğitim Araştırma Hastanesi, İstanbul, Türkiye
2 İstanbul Fiziksel Tedavi Rehabilitasyon Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Kliniği, İstanbul, Türkiye

The autonomic nervous system is under supraspinal control,and therefore its function is disturbed by spinal cord injuries. Clinical conditions related to autonomic dysfunction are autonomic dysreflexia, hyperhidrosis, temperature instability and orthostatic hypotension. Autonomic dysreflexia is a complication of spinal cord injuries at or above the T6 level. The clinical manifestations may include elevated blood pressure above baseline value. Autonomic dysreflexia may be difficult to identify in young children because they may not be able to articulate their symptoms. Hyperhydrosis is seen in individuals with cervical and thoracal injuries and hyperhydrotic regions of the body tend to correspond to the level of injury in the spinal cord. 

Keywords : Pediatric spinal cord injury, autonomic disfunctions