There are many types of rare diseases that have names and symptoms that are unique and even sound strange. One of them is Riley-Day syndrome, also known as autonomic dysfunction. Riley-Day syndrome is a hereditary genetic mutation that affects the nervous system in the human body. Autonomic dysfunction occurs because the autonomic nervous system is damaged or dysautonomia. which causes disturbances in the autonomic nervous system that connects the brain and spinal cord to the muscles. Disorders that occur cause the body to lose the ability to recognize touch, smell, and pain. In fact, this disease can make people who experience it immune from pain.

Symptoms that appear in people with Riley's syndrome include the inability to stay upright, dizziness resulting in unstable walking, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, low blood pressure, problems with the digestive system, nausea, diarrhea, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, poor appetite due to lack of sense of taste, Inability to feel pain and temperature changes. vision problems, such as blurred vision or an inability to react to light quickly.

Several health conditions can cause autonomic dysfunction and this can be a side effect of treatment for other diseases, such as cancer. Common causes of autonomic dysfunction include diabetes. Diabetes can gradually cause nerve damage throughout the body. Autoimmune diseases that attack the immune system and damage parts of the body, including nerves, such as Sjogren's syndrome, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, Guillain's syndrome. Certain drugs, including drugs used in the treatment of cancer (chemotherapy) and some viruses and bacteria, such as HIV and those that cause botulism and Lyme disease.

Autonomic dysfunction can vary in symptoms and severity, and often stems from different causes. Several types of autonomic include: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), Neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS) is the most common dysautonomia. The main symptom is fainting, also called syncope. Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is rare and only occurs in adults over 40 years of age. Has symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease. MSA damages parts of the brain slowly, especially the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and brainstem. And cause motor difficulties, speech problems, balance problems, poor blood pressure. The cause is unknown and there is no cure or treatment that can slow the disease.

Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN) is a genetic disorder that causes nerve dysfunction in both children and adults. That makes people unable to feel pain, temperature changes, and touch. Holmes-Adie syndrome (HAS) can affect the nerves that control the eye muscles, causing vision problems. HAS can occur due to a viral infection that causes inflammation and damage to neurons and permanent loss of tendon reflexes.

Treatment is done by treating the underlying disease, for example, if the main cause is diabetes, then we must control blood sugar to prevent autonomic neuropathy from getting worse. Treatment for symptom relief is based on the part of the body most affected by the nerve damage. There is no cure for primary dysautonomia. However, symptoms of secondary dysautonomia may improve when the initial symptoms of the condition are treated. Treatment aims to reduce symptoms so that the patient can balance the effects of the autonomic nervous system when the nervous system is not working as it should. Other treatments involve physical therapy, exercise therapy, and counseling for people with dysautonomia. Medications are used to reduce some of the symptoms, and therapy may be changed from time to time to observe changes experienced by the patient.

Source : Medicalnewtoday. Dysautonomia: Symptoms, types, and treatment (medicalnewstoday.com). (8 Juni 2021).

Autonomic Dysfunction: Symptoms, Types, and Treatments (healthline.com). ( 8 Juni 2021).

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