Citation

Chua KS, Kong KH, Tan ES. Ann. Acad. Med. Singapore 1995; 24(3): 470-472.

Affiliation

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Academy of Medicine, Singapore)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7574437

Abstract

Hypertension in a patient with acute spinal cord injury is commonly caused by autonomic dysreflexia, which is a syndrome of paroxysmal hypertension associated with headaches, relative bradycardia and vasomotor instability secondary to sympathetic overactivity. Life-threatening complications such as seizures and intracerebral haemorrhage are largely preventable. We report both acute and chronic forms of autonomic dysreflexia due to underlying urinary and faecal impaction in a 33-year-old female with traumatic C4 quadriplegia. She was successfully managed with a combination of physical and pharmacological measures including calcium channel and sympathetic blockers.

Language: en