Neurogenic Shock Symptoms:
The following are some of the symptoms associated with neurogenic shock. Some of them may not appear immediately after injury or they may occur gradually over time. These symptoms include numbness, tingling, weakness, loss of coordination and difficulty breathing. Other symptoms such as depression, anxiety and hallucinations are also common among patients suffering from neurogenic shock.
Numbness, Tingling, Weakness, Loss of Coordination & Difficulty Breathing:
These symptoms are usually seen within hours or days after injury. They may even develop later during recovery period. These symptoms are caused due to lack of blood flow to affected areas and therefor they are called neurogenic. A patient suffering from these symptoms will experience pain throughout their body and may have trouble walking or sitting up straight.
If left untreated, these symptoms may lead to death.
Depression:
Patients suffering from neurogenic shock often suffer from depression which can cause them to lose motivation and drive themselves into a state of despair. Depression is a major symptom of neurogenic shock and it leads to poor quality of life. Patients suffering from depression need professional help and they should seek medical attention if they experience any depressive episodes.
Anxiety:
Another psychological disorder that develops in patients suffering from neurogenic shock is anxiety. As the name suggests, patients with anxiety experience excessive fear and worry throughout their lives. These patients experience panic attacks and their hearts begin to race. Left untreated, these patients may suffer from heart diseases and even have a heart attack.
Hallucinations:
Hallucinations are another common symptom of neurogenic shock. These patients may experience hallucinations through their senses. Hallucinations are also experienced through a sense of perception. A patient may hear voices that others do not hear or they may see things that are not there in reality.
These symptoms need to be treated immediately as they can cause extreme distress and lead to depression.
Treating Neurogenic Shock:
The following are some of the treatments for Neurogenic shock:
Painkillers:
These drugs are especially prescribed to patients suffering from neurogenic shock in order to relieve them of pain so that they can get proper sleep and rest. These drugs are available in tablet or liquid form and they can be easily accessed over-the-counter. These drugs should only be taken under medical supervision as they can have severe side effects on the patient’s body.
Anxiolytics:
These drugs are especially prescribed to patients who are suffering from anxiety and other psychological disorders that are caused due to neurogenic shock. These drugs help in calming the mind and relieving the patient of psychological trauma. These drugs can have side effects such as drowsiness and dullness.
Antidepressants:
These drugs are mainly used to treat patients who are suffering from depression caused due to neurogenic shock. These drugs help to elevate the mood of the patient and relieve them of any despair or suicidal thoughts. These drugs, however, take time to show any effect and may even cause some unwanted side effects in some cases.
Neurolecturers:
As the name suggests, these drugs work by re-establishing normal neurotransmission within the nerve cells. They help in improving blood flow to the nerves and also work by repairing any damage that has been caused to the nerve cells due to lack of oxygen. These drugs may take time to show any effect on the patient. These drugs have very few side effects if taken as per doctor’s instructions.
Why Seek Treatment?
Neurogenic shock is a very serious condition that can cause permanent damage to the patient’s body. It will not go away by itself, it needs to be treated immediately in order to prevent any irreversible damage or even death in some unfortunate cases. Patients with Neurogenic shock should seek medical attention immediately in order to prevent further complications from cropping up and hindering their treatment.
Sources & references used in this article:
The incidence of neurogenic shock in patients with isolated spinal cord injury in the emergency department by HR Guly, O Bouamra, FE Lecky – Resuscitation, 2008 – Elsevier
Acute spinal cord injury and neurogenic shock in pregnancy by GJ Gilson, AC Miller, FW Clevenger… – … & Gynecological Survey, 1995 – journals.lww.com
Death due to neurogenic shock following gastric rupture in an anorexia nervosa patient by I Sinicina, H Pankratz, A Büttner, G Mall – Forensic science international, 2005 – Elsevier
Presentation of neurogenic shock within the emergency department by MP Taylor, P Wrenn, AD O’Donnell – Emergency Medicine Journal, 2017 – emj.bmj.com
Neurogenic shock by EH Mack – The Open Pediatric Medicine Journal, 2013 – benthamopen.com
Characterization of the spectrum of hemodynamic profiles in trauma patients with acute neurogenic shock by RL Summers, SD Baker, SA Sterling, JM Porter… – Journal of critical …, 2013 – Elsevier
Milrinone therapy for enterovirus 71-induced pulmonary edema and/or neurogenic shock in children: a randomized controlled trial by CY Chi, TH Khanh, FC Tseng, SM Wang… – Critical care …, 2013 – cdn.journals.lww.com
Effect of blood transfusion, dopamine, or normal saline on neurogenic shock secondary to acutely raised intracranial pressure by M Rahimifar, CH Tator, RJ Shanlin, MJ Sole – Journal of neurosurgery, 1989 – thejns.org
The incidence of neurogenic shock after spinal cord injury in patients admitted to a high-volume level I trauma center by JT Mallek, K Inaba, BC Branco, L Lam… – The American …, 2012 – search.proquest.com
