An abnormal state of the body in which a white substance( myelin) of the brain is destroyed is called a demyelinating process. This problem is very dangerous. The disease affects the work of the whole body, as it relates to autoimmune pathologies. In recent years, the number of cases of detecting demyelinating diseases has increased.
Demyelinating diseases of the nervous system
Diseases of the nervous system( ICD-10 according to the international classification), which are united by a similar method of myelin damage, are caused by several causes - from allergic to viral agents. This group of pathologies is characterized by the fact that demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system often affect able-bodied men and women who subsequently come to disability. As a rule, demyelination of the brain leads to a persistent decline in intelligence. More often the following demyelinating brain diseases:
- multiple sclerosis;
- multifocal leukoencephalopathy;
- acute encephalomyelitis.
Multiple sclerosis
What is multiple sclerosis, recently young people from 15 to 40 years often recognize. A feature of this disease is the simultaneous damage of several departments of the central nervous system, which leads to different symptoms in patients. The disease alternates with periods of remission and exacerbation. The basis of multiple sclerosis is the emergence of foci of myelin destruction in the spinal cord and the brain, which are called plaques. Their sizes are small, but large joints are sometimes formed. Often, such pathology leads to Marburg disease or atherosclerosis.
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
Disease refers to a viral infection of the nervous system that develops in the immunodeficient state of the patient. Pathology is rapidly progressing and within a year can lead a patient to death. Often the cause of the emergence of multifocal leukoencephalopathy is a reactivated virus that enters the body as early as childhood and is in the kidneys or tissues in a latent state. The disease develops when a person falls into the risk zone: AIDS, organ transplantation, lymphoma, leukemia, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome and other diseases.
Acute encephalomyelitis
Disseminated encephalomyelitis is a disease in which a variety of inflammatory processes occur in the spinal cord and brain. Pathology is characterized by foci of lesions scattered throughout the nerve tissue. The name itself( encephalitis and myelitis) indicates the severity of the disease, and the prognosis of the patient's recovery depends on the activity of the process, the adequacy and timeliness of the treatment, the initial state of the organism. The outcome of acute encephalomyelitis can be, as a recovery, and disability or even the death of the patient.
Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis
Chronic multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating brain disease in which the body considers its tissues as foreign. Immunity with antibodies begins to fight them. There is a demyelinating process, during which the nerve fibers are denuded, and the patient exhibits initial symptoms: the appearance of a delay in urination, a violation of gait or vision.
Later, partial restoration of the myelin sheath occurs, and the first signs of the disease disappear. The patient thinks that the problems have passed independently and do not seek medical help. This is the cunning of multiple sclerosis or another demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. As a rule, when a patient turns to a doctor, he has an autoimmune process for 4-5 years.
The most common signs of the initial stage of multiple sclerosis are the following conditions:
- numbness of the limbs;
- amyotrophy of the muscles of the hands;
- imbalance;
- double vision and blurred vision;
- movement coordination disorder;
- speech imprecision;
- cognitive impairment;
- sharply arising limb paralysis.
Causes of Brain Disease
Any demyelinating CNS disease can manifest itself for various reasons. The most famous among them:
- Malfunctions in metabolism. This is typical for diseases such as diabetes mellitus, thyroid disease.
- Paraneoplastic processes, which are the first manifestation of a malignant tumor.
- Intoxication with chemical components: narcotic, psychotropic, alcoholic, paint and varnish and others.
- Response of immunity to proteins found in myelin.
Numerous studies in recent years confirm that demyelinating brain diseases can develop due to adverse environmental effects, poor heredity, malnutrition, prolonged stress or bacterial contamination. An important role in the spread of pathology is played by infectious diseases: herpes, measles, rubella, the Epstein-Barr virus.
Treatment of demyelinating disease
It is difficult to cure degenerative and demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system. Even with the development of modern medicine, drugs that are capable of final and quickly rid the sick from an ailment do not exist. Therapy is aimed at preventing the formation of long-term neurological consequences. Before determining the exact diagnosis, the doctor sends the patient to a differential diagnosis, during which, with similar symptoms, one demyelinating brain disease must be distinguished from the other.
Remedies for Multiple Sclerosis
It is impossible to cure completely multiple sclerosis. In the clinic where there is a department of neurology, the patient is first sent to do an MRI, a spinal puncture, to take laboratory tests. Specific test, which accurately determines the diagnosis, no. Many other diseases have similar symptoms( lupus erythematosus, stroke), so only an experienced specialist can determine the final diagnosis and treatment method. In each individual case, medications are prescribed, based on the severity of the seizures.
Drugs are prescribed depending on the stage of multiple sclerosis. So, when the last, cerebrospinal form of the disease is aggravated, injections and adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisone tablets are prescribed. They prevent functional disorders, relieve inflammation, reduce the immune attack. In case of intermittent treatment between seizures medications that promote normal immunity work are prescribed: Immunoglobulins, Methotrexate, Cyclosporin A.
Symptomatic treatment of
Symptomatic therapy means all therapies that can help alleviate the symptoms or further conditions of the patient, but do not eliminate the causes of the disease. With demyelinating CNS pathologies, rehabilitation measures such as physiotherapy, folk remedies, changes in diet, acupuncture, laser or non-aural therapy are carried out.
Non-pharmacological treatment encompasses energy-saving exercise( using long periods of rest, prioritizing, intensive morning exercises).Physiotherapy is based on training new options for walking, developing balance, and, if necessary, selecting prostheses. Symptomatic therapy improves the quality of life of a patient with a brain disease.