Which statement differentiates autonomic dysreflexia from preeclampsia?

Which statement differentiates autonomic dysreflexia from preeclampsia?

• A. Hypertension occurs with contractions but not between contractions, and there is no proteinuria
• B. Proteinuria is typical of autonomic dysreflexia
• C. Autonomic dysreflexia always presents with edema
• D. Blood pressure elevation in autonomic dysreflexia occurs at rest

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how to distinguish autonomic dysreflexia from preeclampsia based on how the blood pressure changes and what other signs are present. Autonomic dysreflexia is an abrupt, episodic rise in blood pressure triggered by a noxious or distending stimulus below the level of a spinal cord injury (such as bladder distension or a stimulus during labor). It tends to be a sharp, stimulus-driven spike rather than a persistent hypertension, and it does not involve protein in the urine. Preeclampsia, by contrast, is a pregnancy-specific syndrome that develops after 20 weeks with sustained hypertension plus proteinuria or other end-organ signs. So the statement that hypertension occurs with contractions but not between contractions, and there is no proteinuria, fits autonomic dysreflexia. It describes an episodic BP rise linked to a stimulus (contractions during labor) and the absence of proteinuria, which helps differentiate it from preeclampsia. Why the other ideas don’t fit: autonomic dysreflexia does not typically feature proteinuria; edema is not a defining feature and isn’t required for AD; and the hypertensive episodes of autonomic dysreflexia are not something that occur at rest without a trigger.

The main idea here is how to distinguish autonomic dysreflexia from preeclampsia based on how the blood pressure changes and what other signs are present. Autonomic dysreflexia is an abrupt, episodic rise in blood pressure triggered by a noxious or distending stimulus below the level of a spinal cord injury (such as bladder distension or a stimulus during labor). It tends to be a sharp, stimulus-driven spike rather than a persistent hypertension, and it does not involve protein in the urine. Preeclampsia, by contrast, is a pregnancy-specific syndrome that develops after 20 weeks with sustained hypertension plus proteinuria or other end-organ signs.

So the statement that hypertension occurs with contractions but not between contractions, and there is no proteinuria, fits autonomic dysreflexia. It describes an episodic BP rise linked to a stimulus (contractions during labor) and the absence of proteinuria, which helps differentiate it from preeclampsia.

Why the other ideas don’t fit: autonomic dysreflexia does not typically feature proteinuria; edema is not a defining feature and isn’t required for AD; and the hypertensive episodes of autonomic dysreflexia are not something that occur at rest without a trigger.