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Familial dysautonomia (FD) affects the autonomic and sensory nervous systems of children from birth. The most striking symptoms of FD are reduced sensitivity to pain and temperature, and the inability to produce tears. Though FD affects people across the world, it occurs almost exclusively in children with Ashkenazi Jewish heritage.  FD is the one of the rarest of diseases, with only 350 people currently living with FD worldwide.

Features of FD:

• Insensitivity to pain
• Unstable blood pressure and body temperature
• “Autonomic crises:” Episodes of cyclical vomiting accompanied by extremely high blood pressure and increased heart rate, sweating and fever.
• Absence of tears
• Poor growth
• Other respiratory, cardiovascular, orthopedic, digestive, and vision problems.
• Inability to suck or swallow (many individuals affected by FD must use feeding tubes to receive proper nutrition).

Living with FD is a daily challenge filled with unimaginable obstacles for those who are affected as well as their families.