The problems of the terminology of vegetative disorders are discussed, the syndromal nature of vegetative dystonia is stressed. The main patterns of the pathology underlying the development of vegetative dystonia are described, providing an opportunity of identifying the etiological factors. Within the framework of the vegetative dystonia syndrome, a symptom complex is distinguished, which is determined by dysfunction of the suprasegmental parts of the vegetative nervous system, namely the psychovegetative syndrome and manifestations of segmental vegetative pathology in the form of a syndrome of progressive vegetative insufficiency and vegetotrophovascular syndrome.