Symptoms Of Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome

Rapid Heartbeat

Patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome may experience a rapid heartbeat. Rapid pulse, or tachycardia, is defined as anything over one hundred beats per minute, and when sustained, it can exacerbate some of the other symptoms as well, such as chest pain or shortness of breath.

Because APS affects such a wide variety of endocrine glands, such as the adrenal glands or thyroid, the normal chemical signals these organs produce to regulate appropriate heart rhythm may be off. Addison’s disease, a disorder of the adrenal glands in which fluid electrolytes cannot be maintained, can develop as a secondary disorder caused by autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome. Adrenal insufficiency has a significant impact on heart function over time, as chronic dehydration and falling blood pressures cause the heart to pump blood less efficiently, and consequently, faster and weaker.

As mentioned before, anemia is common for autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome patients, and can also contribute to tachycardia. Accelerating the heart rate is a compensatory response to low levels of hemoglobin, the iron-oxygen binding protein on the surface of red blood cells. When there isn’t a normal amount of oxygen being shunted along, the heart attempts to move the blood faster.

Indigestion

Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome affects the lining of certain areas of the stomach. And like all autoimmune disorders, it is characterized by chronic inflammation, something that is never good for bodily tissues. APS can cause the immune system to target part of the gastric mucosa, specifically the parietal cells, resulting in frequent complaints of stomach pain and indigestion.

Complicating this symptom is the tendency for autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome patients to develop chronic candida infections of the mouth and esophagus. Because APS interferes with normal immune function, these patients do not have the same resistance to environmental pathogens, like yeast, that others do. As a result, the infection can take a toll on the esophagus, making reflux or indigestion more likely to occur.