Autonomic Dysreflexia (AD), also known as autonomic hyperreflexia, is an emergency situation. It is an abnormal response which occurs when your body is experiencing pain or discomfort below the level of your spinal cord injury (SCI). Because the pain or discomfort message does not get to the brain because of the spinal cord injury, the body’s blood pressure increases to dangerous levels. If the cause of pain or discomfort is not found and treated immediately, serious complications such as stroke, seizure, organ damage, permanent brain injury, or even death may occur.
How susceptible you are to autonomic dysreflexia is affected by the level and the extent of your spinal cord injury: