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Temperature Control and  Dysautonomia - Fact Sheet
 Cold-blooded
creatures take on the temperature of their surroundings. They are hot when
their environment is hot and cold when their environment is cold. Cold-blooded
animals are much more active in warm environments and are very sluggish in cold
environments. These animals are very dependant on their environment
when compared to warm blooded animals like ourselves.
Warm-blooded
creatures, like mammals and birds, try to keep the inside of their bodies at a
constant temperature. They do this by generating their own heat when they are
in a cooler environment, and by cooling themselves when they are in a hotter
environment. This independence from our environment allows warm blooded animals to live in a much broader variety of climates.
It takes a lot of fuel to generate body heat and
indeed a lot of fuel is needed to keep cool. Most of the food we eat is used to
keep our bodies at a stable temperature with a stable amount of fluid of a
stable composition.
Our bodies actually put a lot of effort into staying
the same. The medical term for this process is homeostasis.
In human beings,
the homeostatic regulation of body temperature involves such mechanisms as
sweating when the internal temperature becomes excessive and shivering to
produce heat, as well as the generation of heat through metabolic processes
when the internal temperature falls too low.
The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
These aspects of homeostasis are regulated through the
autonomic nervous system.
The autonomic nervous system manages most of our bodily
systems, including the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal, urinary and
bowel functions, temperature regulation, reproduction and our metabolic and
endocrine systems. Additionally, this system is responsible for our reaction to
stress - the flight or fight response.
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic
The autonomic
nervous system consists of two parts: the sympathetic system and the
parasympathetic system. The sympathetic system can best be thought of as
controlling the “fight or flight” reactions of the body; producing the rapid
heart rates, increased breathing and increased blood flow to the muscles that
are necessary when an individual is in danger or under stress. The
parasympathetic system controls the “quiet” body functions, for instance the
digestive system. In short, the sympathetic system gets the body ready for
action, while the parasympathetic system gets the body ready for rest. And in most
individuals the parasympathetic and sympathetic components of the autonomic
nervous systems are in perfect balance, from moment to moment, depending on the
body’s instantaneous needs.
DYSAUTONOMIA
A brain injury affecting the autonomic nerve system
may result in dysautonomia: The
autonomic nervous system loses that balance and at various times the
parasympathetic or sympathetic systems inappropriately predominate.
Symptoms
Symptoms can
include frequent, vague but disturbing aches and pains, faintness (or even
actual fainting spells), fatigue and inertia, severe anxiety attacks,
Tachycardia, Hypotension, poor exercise tolerance, gastrointestinal symptoms
such as irritable bowel syndrome, sweating, dizziness, blurred vision, numbness
and tingling, anxiety and (quite understandably), depression.
A person suffering
from dysautonomia may exhibit all these symptoms and more or only one or two.
It can be an acute,
short lived problem or a chronic problem that will last a lifetime.
There is no cure
for dysautonomia but some medications and strategies can help alleviate the
symptoms.
Management Strategies
The homeostatic
regulation of body temperature may be severely impaired in a person suffering
from dysautonomia and they may develop excessively high body temperatures and
consequent irritability, confusion and disorientation. The treatment for a high
temperature as a result of a damaged autonomic nervous system is entirely
symptomatic and supportive. That is: the fever is treated but not the cause.
Remember the cause is unfortunately incurable.
Essentially the
treatment is to cool the person down.
A wet towel across
the neck can be of help as most of our body heat is lost through the head and
the external carotid arteries carry large amounts of blood to the brain.
Cooling this area will effectively cool the whole body from the inside out.
Drink plenty of
fluids, preferably water. Other fluids, particularly alcohol or caffeine, can
reduce the fluid levels in the body by increasing fluid loss through sweating
or urination.
It is essential to
seek medical assistance if any fever is severe or prolonged as the fever itself
may damage organs including the brain, heart and kidneys.
A host of
medications have been tried in patients with dysautonomia. Those most commonly
felt to be useful include:
- Tricyclic
antidepressants
-
Anti-anxiety
medications
- Medications
affecting high or low blood pressure and
- Non
steroidal anti-inflammatory medications
The most effective
medications will vary from person to person depending on the particular
symptoms that dysautonomia produce in them.
As with any long-term health condition, it is highly
recommended that a relationship be maintained with a GP or other suitable
medical professional.
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Temperature Control and Dysautonomia 
