Other Neurological Disorders

Saturday, September 5, 2009

This section describes several less common central nervous system disorders. • Meningitis. Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges (membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord), usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms often appear suddenly and include high fever, severe and persistent headache, sensitivity to light, rigid neck, nausea and vomiting. In the viral meningitis symptoms are less serious. The symptoms of bacterial meningitis is development faster and are monitored by the drowsiness and in some cases, the loss of consciousness. Viral meningitis clears in a week or two usually and requires no other than the drug treatment to relieve pain. Bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment with large doses of antibiotics given intravenously. Contact your doctor immediately if you have symptoms of meningitis. • Encephalitis. Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain, usually caused by a viral infection. The symptoms are sudden fever, headache, vomiting, sensitivity to light, neck and back, confusion, drowsiness, clumsiness, unsteady stiffness and irritability. More serious symptoms are muscle weakness, changes to behavior, loss of memory, judgment with impaired driving, seized and loss of consciousness. Some types of encephalitis can be treated with medications such as acyclovir. In most cases, however, treatment focuses on relieving symptoms, keep the person to be comfortable and allowing immune the body against infection. The doctor may prescribe the anticonvulsant medication to prevent seizures and corticosteroid drug to reduce swelling in the brain. Some cases of encephalitis are short and relatively benign. Others may be serious, causing disability long-term or even death. The symptoms of encephalitis require immediate by a physician evaluation may be because early diagnosis and treatment can prevent serious complications, fatal. • Arteriovenous malformation. A (AVM) arteriovenous malformation is a congenital (present at birth) disorder in which there is a web abound arteries and veins in the brain or spinal cord. The symptoms are entered, headaches, paralysis, loss of speech or vision, bleeding (the site of the incorrect blood vessels), or other neurological symptoms. Once detected, the AVM can be removed surgically, closed by injecting a medicinal special glue (in a called procedure embolization) or with radiation. If an AVM is untreated it can bleed in the brain or spinal cord, causing disability death or serious. ‘ • Bell ' s palsy. ‘ Paralysis of ' s Bell is a temporary paralysis of the facial muscles due to inflammation of one of the facial nerves. Usually only one side of the face is assigned. Symptoms include weakness, twitching or paralysis (which may prevent the eye of close completely), drooling and impairment of flavor. Other symptoms may include pain, larmoyants eyes and hypersensitivity to sounds. ‘ Bell ' s palsy may occur in anyone at any age, but it is more common among pregnant women and people who have diabetes or a viral infection as flu, a cold or cold sores. There is no specific treatment, and clear symptoms often on their own people that have no other related diseases. Weakness sometimes face is caused by a more serious illness. If you have other symptoms, or if the condition does not quickly improves, consult your doctor.