Autonomic dysreflexia in the spinal cord-injured. What the physician should know about this medical emergency.

Autonomic dysreflexia is a potentially fatal condition occurring in quadriplegics and paraplegics whose spinal cord lesion lies above the greater splanchnic outflow. Prompt recognition of common and less common clinical findings and a search for the causative stimulus are essential. Bladder distention and fecal impaction are the two most likely causes. Should it persist after removal of the stimulus, hypertension requires aggressive drug therapy to control massive sympathetic outflow.