RT Book, Section
A1 Barohn, Richard J.
A1 Engstrom, John W.
A2 Loscalzo, Joseph
A2 Fauci, Anthony
A2 Kasper, Dennis
A2 Hauser, Stephen
A2 Longo, Dan
A2 Jameson, J. Larry
SR Print(0)
ID 1199143923
T1 Disorders of the Autonomic Nervous System
T2 Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 21e
YR 2022
FD 2022
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781264268504
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1199143923
RD 2024/04/19
AB The  autonomic  nervous  system  (ANS)  innervates  the  entire  neuraxis  and  influences  all  organ  systems.  It  regulates  blood  pressure  (BP);  heart  rate;  sleep;  and  glandular,  pupillary,  bladder,  and  bowel  function.  It  maintains  organ  homeostasis  and  operates  automatically;  its  full  importance  becomes  recognized  only  when  ANS  function  is  compromised,  resulting  in  dysautonomia.  Dysautonomia  can  result  from  a  primary  disorder  of  the  central  or  peripheral  nervous  system,  or  from  a  nonneurogenic  cause.  Not  infrequently  more  than  one  contributor  may  be  present,  for  example  the  additive  effects  of  a  medication  in  a  patient  with  diabetes  mellitus,  cardiovascular  insufficiency,  or  normal  aging  may  be  responsible.  It  is  helpful  to  characterize  dysautonomia  by  its  time  course  (acute,  subacute,  or  chronic;  progressive  or  static),  severity,  and  whether  manifestations  are  continuous  or  intermittent.  Hypothalamic  disorders  that  cause  disturbances  in  homeostasis  are  discussed  in  Chaps.  18  and  378.