When I started caring for people with hypermobility syndromes such as Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD), I began to notice that all of my patients had many things in common, that did not seem necessarily related to hypermobility. I started keeping a list, and soon I developed a comprehensive list of “Associated Findings” that I could also use as an assessment tool. The more of these associated findings a patient has – the more evidence there is that something else is going on aside from just hypermobility. Many of these findings are related to the autonomic nervous system, autoimmunity and mast cell activation syndrome.
You can use this check list to show how many associated findings you may have. While these are not part of the diagnostic process, I take these things into account when I am making a diagnosis.
I will review these in our clinic visit and I also use this information when determining referrals.
| System | History of Associated Findings | |
| Muscular | Fatigue | |
| Kyphosis | ||
| Scoliosis | ||
| Hypotonia | ||
| Eyes | Strabismus | |
| Myopia | ||
| Convergence Disorder | ||
| GI | Constipation/Diarrhea | |
| Fecal Incontinence | ||
| Eosinophilic esophagitis | ||
| Gastritis | ||
| Abdominal Pain | ||
| Delayed Gastric Emptying | ||
| GERD | ||
| Rectal Prolapse | ||
| Hernias | ||
| IBS | ||
| Gyne | Severe Dysmenorrhea | |
| Menorrhagia (Heavy) | ||
| Prolapse | ||
| GU | UTI | |
| Bladder Prolapse | ||
| Urinary Incontinence | ||
| Cardiac | POTS | |
| Raynaud’s phenomenon | ||
| Tachycardia | ||
| Heme | Bleeding Tendency | |
| Prolonged Bleeding time | ||
| Easy bruising | ||
| Neuro | Headache | |
| Temp Dysregulation | ||
| Local Anesthesia failure | ||
| Dizziness | ||
| Pre-fainting | ||
| Fainting | ||
| Altered Proprioception | ||
| Brain Fog | ||
| Memory problems | ||
| Concentration Problems | ||
| Difficulty Sleeping | ||
| Chiari | ||
| Psych | Anxiety | |
| Depression | ||
| Affective Disorder | ||
| Kinesiophobia* | ||
| Oral | Fragile Bleeding gums | |
| Broken/Early loss of Teeth | ||
| Thin enamel | ||
| History of Palate Expander | ||
| History of Dental Crowding | ||
| Teeth (rapid orthodontia) | ||
| TMJ | ||
| Immune | Mast Cell Activation |
The Center for Happy-NESSS 