Neurological diseases of A.Griguolo

Generality

Neurological diseases are diseases that have as their object the nervous system, ie brain, spinal cord and / or nerves.

Neurological diseases include conditions of various kinds, including: genetic pathologies, congenital malformations, vascular diseases, psychiatric disorders, autoimmune diseases, infections, degenerative diseases, diseases of traumatic origin, nerve compression syndromes and idiopathic pathologies.

Currently, the known and described neurological diseases are about 600; of these 600 conditions, readers will surely be known: stroke, dementia, spina bifida, brain tumors, migraine, epilepsy, carpal tunnel syndrome, Parkinson's disease and peripheral neuropathy.

What is the nervous system in short

The nervous system is the complex of finely connected anatomical structures that include the brain, the spinal cord and the nerves .

The nervous system presents cells known as neurons as functional units, whose particularity is being able to transmit information very quickly and at a considerable distance from the point of origin.

With the support of the interconnections that characterize its constituent parts, the nervous system carries out the very important task of regulating the functioning of the various organs of the human body.

What are Neurological Diseases?

Neurological diseases are pathologies of the nervous system; therefore, in other words, neurological diseases are the diseases that affect the brain, the spinal cord and / or the nerves.

Features

The list of neurological diseases includes: genetic diseases, congenital malformations, degenerative diseases (so-called neurodegenerative diseases ), tumors, autoimmune diseases, infections, traumatic diseases, nerve compression diseases (or nerve compression syndromes), vascular diseases, psychiatric illnesses and idiopathic diseases (ie without a recognizable cause);
To date, the number of known neurological diseases is about 600 ; among these 600 conditions, there are common, uncommon and rare pathologies;
Neurological diseases are not all equally serious ; among them, in fact, fall pathologies of modest clinical severity and very severe pathologies, capable of having highly debilitating effects and, not infrequently, of leading to death;

In general, neurological diseases most frequently affect older people ; however, it is good to point out that, among the diseases of the nervous system, there are also congenital conditions (therefore manifest from birth) and conditions that appear long before old age ;
Neurological diseases are a matter for neurologists (ie doctors with a specialization in neurology), neurosurgeons (ie doctors with a specialization in neurosurgery) and neuropsychiatrists (ie doctors with a specialization in psychiatry);
Neurological diseases that affect only a few people in the world are examples of rare diseases .

Epidemiology

According to an estimate of the WHO (World Health Organization) dating back to 2007, around the world the number of people suffering from a neurological disease would be around 1 billion ; neurological diseases, therefore, represent a rather common class of pathologies.

To this it is therefore right to add what emerged from other interesting statistical surveys, namely:

Neurological diseases are the leading cause of disability in the world;
Neurological diseases are implicated every year in the death of at least 7 million people;
10% of all emergency room visits are somewhat related to the presence of a neurological disease.

Causes

The causes of neurological diseases include:

Genetic mutations . A genetic mutation is a stable change in the characteristic DNA sequence that constitutes a certain gene.
Examples of genetic diseases, neurological diseases due to a genetic mutation are mostly congenital conditions, but may also be delayed onset conditions;
Infectious agents . Infectious agents that can cause neurological diseases include bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.
Neurological diseases related to the action of an infectious agent are examples of infections ;
Degenerative processes . In degenerative processes, we are witnessing the loss by a certain organ or tissue of normal anatomy / histology.
Neurological diseases due to brain degeneration, spinal cord and / or nerves are examples of neurodegenerative diseases ;
Tumor (or neoplastic ) proliferative processes . The neoplastic proliferative processes are events that have as their protagonist the excessive and uncontrolled growth of the cells belonging to a certain tissue or organ.
Neurological diseases due to the uncontrolled proliferation of neurons in some parts of the nervous system are examples of tumors of the nervous system ;

Exaggerated or improper responses of the immune system . In some individuals, due to causes almost always unknown, the immune system works abnormally and, instead of protecting the body, attacks certain components, causing even very important and debilitating damage.
Examples of autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases sustained by an abnormal behavior of the immune system see the latter attack, mostly, the nerves;
Injury injuries to brain, spinal cord or nerves . When brain, spinal cord or nerves are victims of an injurious trauma, they undergo a functional loss, which can have highly debilitating consequences;
Changes in the blood supply to one or more components of the nervous system . The influx of oxygenated blood is vital to any organ and tissue in the human body, without exception.
Like any other organ or cellular complex, when brain, spinal cord or nerves receive less (or do not receive at all) oxygen-rich blood, they first enter a state of suffering and then undergo necrosis;
An incorrect lifestyle . Alcoholism and malnutrition, for example, cause the lack of vitamins essential for the proper functioning and health of the brain;
Nervous compression phenomena . Nerve compression is the compression of a nerve with irritative effects on the latter.
The phenomenon of nerve compression usually depends on an alteration of the normal anatomy of the elements surrounding the involved nerve;
Anomalies in communication between neurons in the absence of trauma or other insults against the nervous system . Along with other factors, these abnormalities appear to be at the basis of the neurological diseases included in the list of psychiatric illnesses.

Symptoms

In general, neurological diseases are conditions characterized by different symptoms and signs; the following manifestations certainly deserve mention among these symptoms and signs:

Permanent or temporary paralysis of one or more parts of the human body;
Sense of muscle weakness;
Poor motor coordination and mobility problems;
Loss of sensitivity in the skin;
Epileptic seizures (epilepsy);
Head pain (headache);

Confusion;
Pain (the pain that characterizes some neurological diseases is a chronic painful sensation, whose specific name is neuropathic pain);
Cognitive deficits, learning difficulties and / or memory problems;
Mood swings;
Changes in the state of consciousness;
Difficulty in performing simple but vital functions, such as breathing, swallowing, talking, etc.

Some neurological diseases are pathologies present from birth or appearing in the first years of life ; other neurological diseases, on the other hand, occur only in adulthood . The mode of appearance of a neurological disease basically depends on the causes.

Diagnosis

The investigations that lead to the diagnosis of neurological diseases always begin with an accurate physical examination and a scrupulous medical history ; therefore, depending on the circumstances (above all based on what emerges from the researches previously cited), they can continue with:

A neurological examination;
Radiological examinations (eg: CT scan, nuclear magnetic resonance or X-ray) with the brain and / or spinal cord subject;
Electromyography;
Blood and urine tests;
A study of nerve conduction;
A lumbar puncture.

Therapy

The treatment of neurological diseases varies according to the nature of these conditions, where the term "nature" includes causes and characteristics.

In the list of therapies and remedies that can be applied in the presence of a neurological disease, they certainly deserve a special emphasis:

The adoption of a lifestyle based on the health and well-being of the human body . It is the indispensable remedy for treating neurological diseases such as Wernicke's encephalopathy or Korsakoff's syndrome, whose origin is vitamin deficiencies due to severe alcoholism and / or malnutrition;
Physiotherapy with rehabilitation purposes . It is among the treatments that are used to recover from traumatic injuries to the brain or spinal cord;
Pharmacological control of neuropathic pain . It is a form of symptomatic therapy, which allows the relief of neurological diseases such as peripheral neuropathy, polyneuropathy, polyneuritis, etc .;
Neurosurgery operations . They represent the most important treatments for the treatment of brain or spinal cord tumors.

Important examples

The most well-known neurological diseases include: injuries to one of the lobes of the brain (brain lesions), spinal cord injuries, myelitis, epilepsy, migraine, peripheral neuropathy, polyneuropathy, neuralgia (eg trigeminal neuralgia), multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, all forms of dementia, spinal muscular atrophy (or SMA), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or ALS), spina bifida, forms of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette syndrome, Huntington's disease, stroke, all types of brain tumors, forms of encephalitis, forms of encephalopathy, meningitis, prion diseases (eg: mad cow disease of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease), narcolepsy, carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica (or sciatica).

Below, the reader will have the opportunity to investigate some of the aforementioned conditions.

Injuries of a brain lobe

Brain lobe lesions are examples of neurological diseases that originate from considerable trauma to the brain.

When they are the object of injury, the lobe of the brain loses its integrity and undergoes an alteration that irreversibly affects its function.

The peculiarity of the lesions of the lobes of the brain is that the symptomatic picture varies in relation to the site of the traumatic event: a lesion of the temporal lobe, for example, causes symptoms and signs different from a lesion of the frontal lobe.

Did you know that ...

Lesions of the lobes of the brain may be responsible for symptoms such as: receptive aphasia, expressive aphasia, prosopagnosia, acquired dyslexia, memory loss, apathy, dysgraphia, dysarthria, etc.

dementias

Dementias are examples of neurological diseases due to a degenerative process affecting the brain.

Dementias - whose main representative is Alzheimer's disease - are neurodegenerative diseases of the brain, typical of old age (but not exclusive to the elderly), which involve the gradual and almost always irreversible reduction of the intellectual faculties of the affected subject.

According to the most recent research, the onset and progression of a dementia would be sustained by the death of encephalic nerve cells and / or their poor functioning as regards intercellular communication.

Did you know that ...

The most well-known and common forms of dementia in the world are the aforementioned Alzheimer's disease (it is present in 50-70% of people with dementia), vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is an example of a neurological disease due to compression of a peripheral nerve.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the set of symptoms that appears after compression of the median nerve, compression operated by the bony and ligamentous structures of the carpal tunnel.

Usually the result of several concomitant factors, carpal tunnel syndrome is typically associated with manifestations such as: wrist pain, tingling in the hand and numbness in the anatomical areas innervated by the median nerve.

deepening

The median nerve is one of the 5 terminal branches of the so-called brachial plexus as well as one of the main nerves of the upper limb.
The carpal tunnel is the narrow anatomical canal, located on the palmar side of the wrist, through which tendons pass through as many as 9 hand muscles and the median nerve.

Wernicke's encephalopathy

Wernicke's encephalopathy is an example of a neurological disease related to an incorrect lifestyle.

Wernicke's encephalopathy is the suffering of the brain which results from a deficiency of thiamine ( vitamin B1 ) and which is associated with conditions such as malnutrition or severe alcoholism .

Wernicke's encephalopathy is a reversible condition.

Did you know that ...

In medicine, the term " encephalopathy " identifies a group of pathologies characterized by a structural and / or functional alteration of the brain.

Brain tumor

Brain cancer is an example of a neurological disease due to a neoplastic proliferation process.

Brain tumors are abnormal cell masses in continuous proliferation, which may have benign characteristics (ie be slow growing) or malignant features (ie exhibit rapid growth).

Brain tumors are responsible for a symptomatology that depends on 3 specific characteristics of the tumor mass: the site, the size and the rate of growth .

Did you know that ...

Regardless of whether they are benign or malignant, brain tumors always require treatment aimed at their removal, since, in all cases, they cause symptoms incompatible with a normal life.

Spina Bifida

Spina bifida is an example of a neurological disease due to a wrong development in the fetal age.

Spina bifida is a congenital malformation of the vertebral column, due to which the meninges and, sometimes, also the spinal cord come out of their natural seat (corresponding to the spinal canal).

Did you know that ...

Spina bifida is the result of a defect in the development of the neural tube .

Stroke

Stroke is an example of a neurological disease due to an alteration of the blood supply to the brain.

In medicine, the term "stroke" and its synonyms " apoplectic stroke ", " cerebral infarction " and " stroke " indicate death (or necrosis), due to lack of blood supply, of a more or less extensive area of brain.

Depending on how the blood supply is deprived, the stroke can be of ischemic or haemorrhagic type.