THE AUTONOMIC CHARITABLE TRUST

The mission of the Autonomic Charitable Trust (ACT) is to increase awareness and recognition of disorders of the autonomic nervous system. We aim to provide information and education to members of the public and the medical professions as well as funding research to help with diagnosis and eventual progress towards a cure.

The autonomic nervous system is the involuntarily acting section of the brain and nervous system which influences every organ in our bodies. It plays a key role in their function and as it controls blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature it is essential for our survival, and, because it functions automatically, we are not aware of its actions until it goes wrong.

Autonomic problems can affect blood pressure and heart rate causing dizziness, palpitations, falls and faints. They can complicate diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, and others that can affect any age group such as spinal cord injuries. They can affect your ability to work or drive and as such create problems in everyday life.

Autonomic dysfunction can be intermittent, it can cause problems with simply changing position from sitting to standing with dizziness, palpitations, and fainting when upright. Some autonomic conditions are relatively rare, while others are extremely common such as diabetes, and the incidence of autonomic problems tends to increase with age.

Autonomic dysfunction can also affect key systems such as the gastro-intestinal tract, the bladder and sexual function (mainly in men).

Disorders which are associated with dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system include Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) and Autonomic Mediated Syncope (AMT).

Damage to the autonomic nervous system can occur in many medical and neurological disorders and include Parkinson’s Disease and Diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2.

A number of drugs, and also sometimes alcohol, can damage or result in malfunction of the autonomic nervous system.

ACT would like to see a greater understanding of the workings of the autonomic nervous system and to help all those affected by its dysfunction.