dysautonomia /disô′tənō″mē·ə/ [Gk, dys + autonomia, self-government] , an autosomal-recessive disease of childhood characterized by defective lacrimation, skin blotching, emotional instability, motor incoordination, total absence of pain sensation, and hyporeflexia, seen almost exclusively in Ashkenazi Jews. Also called familial autonomic dysfunction, familial dysautonomia, Riley-Day syndrome.
