Absence of sweating below the level of injury is a sign of which condition?

Absence of sweating below the level of injury is a sign of which condition?

• A. Neurogenic shock.
• B. Excessive sweating below level of injury.
• C. High blood pressure.
• D. Warm flushed skin everywhere.

Answer: (A)

When a spinal cord injury disrupts the sympathetic pathways, the nerves that control sweat glands below the level of injury can no longer be activated. That autonomic disruption causes anhidrosis—absence of sweating—below the lesion, which is a hallmark feature of neurogenic shock in this context. Neurogenic shock also involves loss of sympathetic vasoconstriction, leading to hypotension and often warm, dry skin due to widespread vasodilation. The other options don’t fit because they describe signs opposite or unrelated to this autonomic failure (excess sweating below the injury isn’t expected, and high blood pressure or widespread warm flushing aren’t consistent with the typical autonomic pattern seen here).

When a spinal cord injury disrupts the sympathetic pathways, the nerves that control sweat glands below the level of injury can no longer be activated. That autonomic disruption causes anhidrosis—absence of sweating—below the lesion, which is a hallmark feature of neurogenic shock in this context. Neurogenic shock also involves loss of sympathetic vasoconstriction, leading to hypotension and often warm, dry skin due to widespread vasodilation. The other options don’t fit because they describe signs opposite or unrelated to this autonomic failure (excess sweating below the injury isn’t expected, and high blood pressure or widespread warm flushing aren’t consistent with the typical autonomic pattern seen here).