05/05/2024
It's Ehlers Danlos Syndrome awareness moth 🦓
HSD and hEDS share symptoms - I often have clients ask me the difference
As pointed out here - the treatment for both is often very similar
Getting diagnosed is empowering to understand what is going on with your body and guides treatment to help you thrive as well as you can
Getting diagnosed with hEDS a decade ago gave so many answers to questions I had for years and has been so helpful in rebuilding my life and finding my path
If you'd like to learn more of my story: https://www.guide2resilience.com/about
May is Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD) Awareness Month. But what is HSD?
Hypermobility spectrum disorders are connective tissue disorders characterized by symptomatic joint hypermobility that cannot be explained by other conditions. 🧬
❓️Signs and symptoms of HSD
Symptoms vary from person to person, with different degrees of severity, and include:
o Joint hypermobility and instability
o Joint subluxations
o Dislocations
o Joint pain
o Loss of joint function
o Joint damage, such as cartilage tear
o Early joint degeneration
o Ligament/tendon damage and injury
o Recurrent, persistent, or chronic pain
o Fatigue
o Autonomic disturbances of heart rate and blood pressure, bowel and bladder function, and temperature regulation
o Organ/systemic inflammation related to mast cell activation
o Headaches
o Gastrointestinal problems
o Anxiety disorders
HSD is diagnosed by medical history and physical examination. In the process, clinicians need to rule out other conditions, including the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, that can cause the same symptoms. To be diagnosed with HSD, there should be evidence that the joint hypermobility is causing problems and is not just an asymptomatic feature.
HSD is diagnosed by medical history and physical examination. In the process, clinicians need to rule out other conditions, including the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (especially hEDS), that can cause the same symptoms. To be diagnosed with HSD, there should be evidence that the joint hypermobility is causing problems and is not just an asymptomatic feature.
Since there is not yet a definitive diagnostic test for hEDS (there are clinical criteria to give a diagnosis but not a genetic test) or HSD, there is no way to differentiate between the two conditions absolutely. Some experts believe that HSD and hEDS are, in essence, the same condition along a spectrum; some are not sure, and others think that HSD and hEDS are separate, distinct conditions.
It is possible that hEDS and HSD have different underlying causes and that they are truly distinct from each other and from other disorders. It is also possible that hEDS and HSD have a common underlying cause and are not truly separate conditions.
While it is frustrating to not have all the answers yet, this is not unusual. The history of medicine is full of examples of developments in diagnostic criteria and the separation of conditions within the same family of disorders as knowledge grows. The hEDS/HSD Working Group of the International Consortium on EDS and HSD is continuing to research and gain a better understanding of these conditions.
At present, the principles and types of management are the same for both HSD and hEDS. HSD is not less severe than hEDS. To say otherwise is incorrect and a misconception. As more and more research is done, this is shown in studies.
Both conditions need awareness, recognition, validation, and care. It is fundamentally important that clinicians worldwide know that there are management strategies for both HSD and EDS that can improve the lives of people living with these conditions.
Learn more here: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-hsd/
Stay tuned throughout May as we explain more about the types of HSD, the spectrum of HSD, and symptoms.
