Symptoms can include any or all of the following:
- Anxiety or apprehension (fear)
- Bladder or bowel dysfunction
- Blurry vision
- Fever
- Flushing (skin turning red)
- Goose bumps
- Heavy sweating
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Muscle spasm
- Nasal congestion
- Throbbing headache
Sometimes, despite a dangerous rise in blood pressure, there are no symptoms at all.
Signs and tests
- Dilated pupils
- Flushed (red) skin above the level of the spinal cord injury
- High blood pressure
- Slow
pulse or fast pulse
The doctor will do a complete neurological and medical examination. Patients must tell their doctor all medications they are currently taking and all medications they've taken in the past, to help determine which tests are necessary.
Tests may include:
- Blood and urine tests
- Brain pictures including head CT or MRI
- EKG (measurement of the heart's electrical activity)
- Lumbar puncture
- Spine pictures, particularly MRI
- Tilt-table testing (testing of blood pressure regulation as body position changes)
- Toxicology screening (tests for any drugs, including medications, in the patient's bloodstream)
- X-rays
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