NEUROLOGIC CONDITIONS
OVERVIEW
Autoimmune disorders can affect the body’s neurological system to produce certain conditions. These conditions can affect the brain, spinal cord, or nerves that control the body’s sensation and movement.
Conditions treated can include:
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Demographically, individuals are usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50 years. Typically there are 2-3 times more women than men afflicted with MS. Individuals of all ethnic background have developed MS, but it has been found to be more prevalent in caucasians and northern european background.
Overview
There are more than 2.3 million people worldwide afflicted with MS. The disease factors that have been found to contribute or associated with MS include gender, age, genetics, geography and ethnic background. The cause of MS is not known. It is thought that there is an environmental factor that an individual may be genetically predisposed to respond to that environmental factor. The result is that the myelin sheath of the body’s nerves is damaged and the nerve impulses are disrupted.
Symptoms
Symptoms are not predictable for any one person. The more common symptoms of MS include:
- Fatigue
- Walking difficulties (Gait)
- Numbness or tingling
- Weakness
- Vision problems
- Dizziness/Vertigo
- Muscle spasticity
- Bowel and bladder changes
- Emotional changes and depression
- Cognitive changesLess common symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Speech and swallowing problems
- Seizures and tremors
- Itching
- Headache
- Hearing Loss
Treatment
There is no cure for multiple sclerosis. Treatment typically focuses on speeding recovery from attacks, slowing the progression of the disease and managing MS symptoms. Some people have such mild symptoms that no treatment is necessary.*
Additional information about MS can be found here: LINK
Neuropathy (CIDP)
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a rare neurological disorder in which there is inflammation of nerve roots and peripheral nerves and destruction of the fatty protective covering (myelin sheath) of the nerve fibers. Myelin allows nerve fibers to transmit signals very rapidly (40-60 meters/second). Loss or damage to myelin can cause slowing or blockage of the nerve signals and can lead to loss of nerve fibers. This causes weakness, paralysis and/or impairment in motor function, especially of the arms and legs. Sensory disturbance may also be present. The motor and sensory impairments usually affect both sides of the body (symmetrical), and the degree of severity and the course of disease may vary from person to person. Some affected individuals may follow a slow steady pattern of symptoms while others may have symptoms that stabilize and then relapse.
- Refer to: Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy | Johns Hopkins Medicine for additional information that can be added
Overview
Neuropathy is a term used to describe as a problem with peripheral nerves as opposed to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). Though doctors are sometimes unable to pinpoint the exact cause of an acquired neuropathy (this is then known as an idiopathic neuropathy), there are many known causes: systemic diseases, physical trauma, exposure to toxins, drugs, infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders.
Who does Neuropathy affect?
There are three types of nerves that can be involved, autonomic, mother and sensory. Neuropathies are either inherited at birth or acquired later in life. It is often seen with a number of different underlying medical conditions. Diabetes is one of the most common conditions that neuropathy is associated with. It can cause chronic high blood glucose levels that damage nerves.
Other medical conditions include:
- Alcoholism
- Shingles
- Spinal cord injury
- Facial nerve diseases
- Infectious diseases, including herpes zoster, HIV, Lyme disease, Chagas disease, and leprosy
- Chemotherapy
- Poisoning from toxins, such as thallium, lead, and arsenic
- Hereditary disorders, including Fabry’s disease and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
- Autoimmune disorders, such as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and vasculitic neuropathy, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogrens Syndrome
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Physical nerve injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome
What are the symptoms?
The term ‘neuropathy’ is associated with a large number of body areas as well as many nerves. The type of presenting symptoms depend on the type of nerves that are affected and can include:
- Sensory nerves (the nerves that control sensation) causing cause tingling, pain, numbness, or weakness in the feet and hands.
- Motor nerves (the nerves that allow power and movement) causing weakness in the feet and hands.
- Autonomic nerves (the nerves that control the systems of the body eg gut, bladder) causing changes in the heart rate and blood pressure or sweating.
CHRONIC MIGRAINE
Overview
- Description Update: “A migraine is a form of severe headache that causes throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation.3 Individuals with migraines may also experience nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and sound. Migraines are a neurological disease that can be classified into the following subsets:
- Migraine with Aura (Complicated Migraine)
- Migraine Without Aura (Common Migraine)
- Migraine Without Head Pain
- Hemiplegic Migraine
- Retinal Migraine
- Chronic Migraine
NEUROMYELITIS OPTICA SPECTRUM DISORDER (NMOSD)
Overview
Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder is an unpredictable autoimmune disease caused by inflammation in the central nervous system. B cells are a critical target for treatment. In a healthy immune system, B cells create antibodies that help protect you from viruses that cause illness like the common cold. When you have NMOSD, those same B cells mistakenly create autoantibodies that targe your central nervous system and can cause inflammation that can lead to NMOSD attacks. NMOSD is often thought to be Multiple Sclerosis (MS) at first. In depth testing with determine if NMOSD is the correct diagnosis. NMOSD is diagnosed by a neurologist.