Item 4-a - Proclamation Declaring October as Dysautonomia Awareness Month

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2 September 12, 2018 Orange County Board of Commissioners CC: Donna Baker, County Clerk Orange County 200 South Cameron Street Hillsborough, NC 27278 Re: Dysautonomia Awareness Month Proclamation Request Dear Commissioners Dorosin, Rich, Burroughs, Jacobs, Marcoplos, McKee and Price, My name is Miranda Harris, I am 15 years old and I attend Orange High School. In 2016 I was diagnosed with a form of dysautonomia called POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), which has altered my life. I am seeking your assistance in raising awareness of POTS/dysautonomia as an important public health matter. October is "Dysautonomia Awareness Month" around the world. In conjunction with Dysautonomia International, I'm asking Orange County to help us raise awareness by issuing a Proclamation declaring October to be Dysautonomia Awareness Month in Orange County. Dysautonomia (pronounced "dis—oughta—know'—me—uh") is an umbrella term used to describe several different neurological conditions caused by a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls all of the involuntary bodily functions that we normally take for granted—regulation of our blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, digestion, kidney function, temperature control, pupil constriction and dilation, etc. When the autonomic nerves are damaged, it can cause very serious problems in one or more of these systems. While many people have never heard of it, POTS is not rare. Mayo Clinic researchers estimate that POTS impacts 1 out of 100 teens, and a total of 1-3 million Americans including adult onset patients, and millions more around the globe, making POTS more common than well-known conditions like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. The majority of people living with POTS are young women between ages 12 and 40, although older adults and males can be impacted too. POTS symptoms include tachycardia upon standing, blood pooling in the extremities, blood pressure dysregulation, fainting, dilated pupils which cause a sensitivity to light and frequent migraines, chest pains, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal motility problems, peripheral neuropathy, and many other symptoms. Autonomic disorders cause so many symptoms, because the autonomic nervous system controls so many different bodily functions. Experts compare the disability seen in POTS to what is seen in COPD and congestive heart failure. 25% of people living with POTS cannot work or attend school, resulting in a substantial