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The Progression of Autonomic Dysfunction in Chronic Disease

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Abstract

Normally, when we are born, we are born with as healthy an ANS as we will have: our resting response is in the middle of the gray area on the baseline response plot. When we are no longer breathing, there is no power in either ANS branch: our resting response is at the bottom left corner of the baseline response plot. The middle diagonal line connecting the two points, the perfect balance line, turns out to be the slowest path from birth to death. This means that the ANS will decline, even if we live a “perfectly healthy life.” As will be demonstrated, chronic disease accelerates this decline. Fortunately, as has been demonstrated in the previous chapter, establishing and maintaining proper balance for the individual can return the patient to a “normal” decline, slowing the progression of autonomic dysfunction as much as possible, minimizing morbidity and mortality risk. Note that the progression plots are not from numbers of patients followed from birth; they are composite plots from large populations of subjects covering the ages. Albeit balance has become the key to promoting and maintaining health and minimizing morbidity and mortality risk. These plots demonstrate the difference between normal aging balance and disease balance.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Autonomic Laboratory Department of Cardiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Joseph Colombo PhD

  2. ANSAR Medical Technologies, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Joseph Colombo PhD

  3. Department of Medicine, Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, IL, USA

    Rohit Arora MD, FACC, FAHA, FACP, FSCAI

  4. Department of Cardiology, The Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, IL, USA

    Rohit Arora MD, FACC, FAHA, FACP, FSCAI

  5. Department of Cardiology, Hahnemann Hospital Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Nicholas L. DePace MD, FACC

  6. Department of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School Strelitz Diabetes Research Center, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Aaron I. Vinik MD, PhD, FCP, MACP

Authors
  1. Joseph Colombo PhD
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  2. Rohit Arora MD, FACC, FAHA, FACP, FSCAI
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  3. Nicholas L. DePace MD, FACC
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  4. Aaron I. Vinik MD, PhD, FCP, MACP
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Colombo, J., Arora, R., DePace, N.L., Vinik, A.I. (2015). The Progression of Autonomic Dysfunction in Chronic Disease. In: Clinical Autonomic Dysfunction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07371-2_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07371-2_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-07370-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-07371-2

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