Often, disorders of the autonomic nervous system, called vegetative-vascular dystonia, occur against the background of somatic or mental illness.Is there really such a diagnosis and what may be hidden behind its typical symptoms? INVITRO.
According to the expert, the term “vegetovascular dystonia” (VVD) doctors describe various symptoms that often indicate dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system and can be a manifestation of various diseases and disorders.
“10. In the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) of the revision there is no term “VSD”, but in Russia and the CIS countries VSD remains one of the most popular diagnoses, while in most cases there are pathologies behind it. In Western countries, the diagnosis of “vegetovascular dystonia” is not used. The doctor said that the 11th revision of the ICD proposes the term “Disorders of the autonomic nervous system, unspecified” to denote functional disorders of the nervous system.
With the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, various symptoms such as nervous system, cardiovascular, respiratory, genitourinary systems, gastrointestinal system, thermoregulation, sweating are observed. Patients often experience a slight increase in body temperature, asthenia, numbness, itching, burning, pain in different parts of the body, anxiety, irritability, restlessness, muscle tension, headache, excessive sweating, feeling of lack of inspiration, etc.
The frequent use of the term “vegetovascular dystonia” by GPs, cardiologists, and neurologists is because such diagnoses are convenient and save time in a diagnostic investigation to diagnose specific causes of symptoms. These diagnoses are often accompanied by inappropriate and ineffective treatment measures, which can worsen the prognosis of the disease and the quality of life of patients,” said Terentyeva.
That is why the doctor said that disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which are often attributed to the concept of VVD, are always secondary, that is, they occur against the background of somatic (physical) or mental diseases. Complaints that the doctor considers as disorders of the autonomic nervous system, for example, arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, disorders in the functioning of various parts of the nervous system, etc. may be based on other somatic diseases such as
At the same time, as the expert notes, anxiety disorders are often found under the guise of VVD.
“Panic disorder is characterized by recurrent panic attacks, which are episodes of unexplained, unbearable discomfort accompanied by various autonomic symptoms, fear and anxiety. And generalized anxiety disorder is a chronic (daily (or nearly daily)) period without the “light” episodes typical of panic disorder. “It is a state of anxiety. In this disease, symptoms associated with increased activity of the autonomic nervous system are very common, “he said.
The doctor emphasized that depressive disorder is one of the most common mental disorders. Patients complain of weakness, fatigue, weakness, note the appearance of discomfort or pain in the body, palpitations, nausea, excessive sweating.
“Patients with mental disorders are often diagnosed with vegetovascular dystonia. In such cases, the wrongly prescribed treatment does not provide relief in the patient’s condition, on the contrary, it may cause side effects and increase anxiety. Sooner or later, such patients make an appointment with a psychiatrist who diagnoses the disease. With the right choice of therapy and psychotherapeutic support, the state of health improves.”
Formerly socialbites.ca Wrote about why gastrointestinal disorders lead to weak immunity and depression.