Clarification on illnesses

Thank you to Sunday’s Good Life section for shedding light on two life-altering illnesses that have become an invisible epidemic — Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and dysautonomia. October is dysautonomia awareness month, so it’s important to clarify the differences, as well as the overlap, between CFS and dysautonomia.

While CFS is categorized by unrelenting fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, post-exertional malaise, muscle aches and cognitive dysfunction, dysautonomia is an umbrella term that relates more specifically to a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). As DINET (Dysautonmia Information Network) writes: The ANS is the master regulator of organ function throughout the body. It is involved in the control of heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, respiration, digestion and other vital functions.

People with dysautonomia often describe themselves as being “allergic to gravity.” Imagine, for example, if you could no longer stand or sit without feeling dizzy and lightheaded, having changes in heart rate and blood pressure, experiencing sweats, chills, shakes and a constant fight or flight response. Simple tasks of everyday living become quite difficult.

While many people do have both CFS and Dysautonomia (80-100 percent), it is important to distinguish between the two, and in treatment, to focus on the patient’s primary symptoms. Average time to diagnosis for Dysautonomia is six years, and the majority of those affected are women. A better understanding of these two illnesses and their comorbidity is crucial for both physicians and patients, as reduced time until diagnosis and proper treatment greatly increases a person’s chances of improvement.

This story was originally published October 24, 2017 at 9:40 PM with the headline "Clarification on illnesses."