brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Autonomic Neuropathies
Causes of Autonomic Neuropathies
Common causes of autonomic neuropathies include Diabetes Mellitus (DM) None Amyloidosis (accumulation of an abnormal protein in tissues) Autoimmune Disorders (when the immune system misinterprets the body’s tissues as foreign and produces antibodies that attack those tissues) Viral infections may trigger an Autoimmune Disorders that results in destruction of autonomic nerves. Some of the antibodies produced by the immune system attack the surface of a nerve fiber or the tissues that wrap around the fiber and enable it to conduct impulses quickly and accurately. (These tissues are called the Nerves .) Sometimes antibodies produced by the immune system attack acetylcholine receptors (the part of nerve cells that enables them to respond to acetylcholine). Acetylcholine is one of the chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) used to communicate within the autonomic nervous system. Other causes of autonomic neuropathies include cancer and drugs (including alcohol in excessive amounts and toxins). 