Dysautonomia (Autonomic Dysfunction)

Comprehensive Heart Evaluation

The first step in understanding your child's condition is to ensure that their heart is functioning and working as it should. 

We tailor testing to your child’s specific symptoms. Our cardiology team may perform a variety of tests such as:

• Vital sign measurements like heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, oxygen levels, breathing rate and others
  
• Active standing test to assess heart rate, blood pressure and symptoms during position changes 
• Electrocardiogram (ECG) to measure heart rhythm
• Echocardiogram, or ultrasound of the heart, that use soundwaves to look at the heart’s function and structure
• Exercise stress tests to see how the heart responds during physical activity
• Other tests as needed, such as tilt-table tests, 24-hour ECG heart monitoring (Holter monitor), QSWEAT (to assess autonomic nerve function), and referral to other specialists

We may use different therapies, including:

Physical Activity

Physical activity is vital to autonomic dysfunction treatment success. However, children often reduce activity because of their symptoms. It’s important to slowly and safely introduce exercise to help your child get back to doing what they love. We may recommend:

• Exercise programs developed just for your child and their individual needs, such as our Autonomic Dysfunction Exercise Program
• Rehabilitation therapies, like physical and/or occupational therapy to build endurance, balance and strength
• Integrative therapies like yoga to gently stretch out tight muscles and strengthen weak muscles

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Our child psychology experts use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to change thinking patterns (cognition) and behaviors (lifestyle habits and physical activity).

Thoughts, beliefs, memories, attention and emotions — as well as environmental, social, cultural and family factors — can play roles in pain and symptoms. CBT helps teach thoughts, skills and behaviors that may reduce the impact symptoms have on your child’s everyday life.

Lifestyle Changes

Lifestyle changes refer to things we can do in our daily life to improve symptoms. For dysautonomia, we may suggest:

• Making nutrition changes, like increasing fluid and salt intake, improving diet or eating more throughout the day
• Enhancing wellness with integrative therapies like healing touch, guided imagery and massage
• Encouraging other healthy habits like improving sleep, taking breaks, managing stress and more

Referral to Other Nemours Specialists

Patients with POTS or other forms of cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction may have symptoms that need  further evaluation and care. Depending on their symptoms, we may refer your child to specialists in pain management, dysmotility gastroenterology, autonomic urology, neurology and others.