Can autonomic dysreflexia be mistaken for preeclampsia during pregnancy? - Diane M. Rowles, MS, NP

Autonomic dysreflexia is a medical response to an autonomic imbalance in the spinal cord nervous system. Well people who have injuries above T6, it's very important to know the difference between autonomic dysreflexia and preeclampsia, because they both have the same symptoms, but the treatment is very different. For autonomic dysreflexia, we want to treat the dysreflexia and maintain the pregnancy till the end. Preeclampsia, there's risk to the child and there's going to be a tendency to deliver the baby. But if you show up in an emergency room, the symptoms are very close to the same, so it's important for somebody to know that they have a risk of dysreflexia. I have known women who have very high injuries who have had a problem with dysreflexia, even not being pregnant, who've been in the hospital the last month just for monitoring, but I have to say, that's probably not the majority.