Understanding Diseases/Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes excessive sleepiness and frequent daytime sleep attacks.

Symptoms
*Periods of extreme drowsiness every 3 to 4 hours during the day. You may feel a strong urge to sleep, often followed by a short nap (sleep attack).
*These periods last for about 15 minutes each, although they can be longer.
*They often happen after eating, but may occur while driving, talking to someone, or during other situations.
*You wake up feeling refreshed.
*Dream-like hallucinations may occur during the stage between sleep and wakefulness. They involve seeing or hearing, and possibly other senses.
*Sleep paralysis is when you are unable to move when you first wake up. It may also happen when you first become drowsy.
*Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle tone while awake, resulting in the inability to move. Strong emotions, such as laughter or anger, will often bring on cataplexy.
 *Most attacks last for less than 30 seconds and can be missed.
 *Your head will suddenly fall forward, your jaw will become slack, and your knees will buckle.
 *In severe cases, a person may fall and stay paralyzed for as long as several minutes.

Causes & Risk Factors
Narcolepsy is a nervous system disorder, not a mental illness. Anxiety does not cause narcolepsy.
Experts believe that narcolepsy is caused by reduced amounts of a protein called hypocretin, which is made in the brain. What causes the brain to produce less of this protein is unclear.
Narcolepsy tends to run in families.
Conditions that cause insomnia, such as disrupted work schedules, can make narcolepsy worse.
Tests & Diagnostics
The doctor will perform a physical exam and order blood work to rule out conditions that can cause similar symptoms.
Conditions that can cause excessive sleepiness include:
    *  Insomnia and other sleep disorders
    *  Restless leg syndrome
    * Seizures
    * Sleep apnea
    * Other medical, psychiatric, or nervous system diseases
Other tests may include:
    * ECG (measures the heart's electrical activity)
    * EEG (brain activity measurements)
    * Monitoring of breathing
    * Genetic testing to look for narcolepsy gene
Tests will also include a sleep study (polysomnogram). The Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) may be used to help diagnose narcolepsy. This test measures how long it takes you to fall asleep during a daytime nap. Patients with narcolepsy fall asleep much faster than people without the condition.
Treatments
There is no known cure for narcolepsy. The goal of treatment is to control symptoms.
Lifestyle adjustments and learning to cope with the emotional and other effects of the disorder may help you function better in work and social activities.
This involves:
* Eating light or vegetarian meals during the day and avoiding heavy meals before important
   activities
* Scheduling a brief nap (10 to 15 minutes) after meals, if possible
* Planning naps to control daytime sleep and reduce the number of unplanned, sudden sleep
   attacks
* Informing teachers and supervisors about the condition so you are not punished for being
   "lazy" at school or work

You may need to take prescription medications. The stimulant drug modafinil (Provigil) is the first choice of treatment for narcolepsy. It is much less likely to be abused than other stimulants. The medicine also helps you stay awake. Other stimulants include dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine, DextroStat) and methylphenidate (Ritalin). Antidepressant medications can help reduce episodes of cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations.
Antidepressants include:
*Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, and venlafaxine
*Tricyclic antidepressants such as protriptyline clomipramine, imipramine, and desipramine
*Sodium oxybate (Xyrem) is prescribed to certain patients for use at night.

If you have narcolepsy, you may have driving restrictions. Restrictions vary from state to state.
Complications
    * Injuries and accidents, if attacks occur during activities
    * Impairment of functioning at work
    * Impairment of social activities
    * Side effects of medications used to treat the disorder
Prevention
There is no known way to prevent narcolepsy. Treatment may reduce the number of attacks. Avoid situations that aggravate the condition if you are prone to attacks of narcolepsy.
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Understanding Diseases/Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is thought to be caused by itchiness of the 9th cranial nerve. Symptoms commonly begin in people above forty years of age. In most cases, the actual reason for the discomfort isn't discovered. Certain factors could be tumors or contamination within the throat and mouth area, compression of the glossopharyngeal nerve by nearby arteries, and various lesions in the base of the skull.

causes

• Blood vessels pressing on the glossopharyngeal nerve
• Abnormal growths at the base of the skull pressing on the glossopharyngeal nerve.
• Tumors or infections of the throat and mouth pressing on the glossopharyngeal nerve.

Symptoms

Symptoms incorporate extreme pain in regions associated to the ninth cranial nerve:

Backside of the nose and throat (nasopharynx) , Back of the tongue , Ear,  Throat,  Tonsil area, Voice box (larynx)

Often the pain appears in episodes and may be intense. It is generally on one particular part, and seems jabbing. The episodes can take place a lot of occasions every day, and wake up the particular person from sleep.

This can occasionally be initiated by:

Eating ,  Coughing , Having a laugh , Talking , Swallowing

Examinations and Tests

Tests will certainly be carried out to identify problems, such as tumors, at the base of the skull. Tests could include:

• Blood checks (sugar level) to look for the reasons of neural injury
• CT scan of the brain
• MRI of the head
• X-rays of the brain or neck
• At times the MRI may show inflammation (swelling) of the glossopharyngeal nerve.

To find out whether a blood vessel is pushing on the nerve, photographs of the brain arteries may be taken using:

• Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)
• X-rays of the arteries with a dye (conventional angiography)

The goal of remedy is to handle pain. Over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin and acetaminophen (Tylenol) are not pretty effective for minimizing glossopharyngeal neuralgia.

Cure

The most efficient drugs are antiseizure medications, like as carbamazepine, gabapentin, and phenytoin. Some anti-depressants, such as amitriptyline or nortriptyline, may help out certain people.

In critical scenarios, when pain is difficult to handle, surgical treatment to take pressure off the glossopharyngeal nerve may be necessary. Or, the nerve can be cut (rhizotomy). Both surgeries are normally considered successful. If a cause of the neuralgia is found, therapy should handle the underlying problem.

People with Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia Disease should not loose their heart rather they should join Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia support group where he/she can learn many things from different discussions.

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Understanding Diseases/Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis an inflammatory disease that can start at an early age (from age 20) and whose cause is unknown.  

Their main target is the synovial tissue (covers or "lining" to the joint), suffers from the 1% of the population and can lead to disability and major limitation if not diagnosed or treated. 

Chronic joint disease characterized by involvement of muscles, tendons and cartilage. Sometimes the eyes and blood vessels are affected. It is three times more common in women than in men, aged between 20 and 60, with a point of greatest incidence between 35 and 45.

CAUSE

Unknown, but probably autoimmune origin.

SYMPTOMS

The most characteristic symptoms are: redness, pain, heat and hardening and deformation of any of the joints of the hands, hips, elbows, feet or knees, so symmetrical, starting with the small joints of the hands. Tenths of temperature. Numbness morning of the joints, which is yielding to the activity. nodules under the skin and joint deformities, Fatigue.

RISK FACTORS

Personal or family history of rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune diseases.

Women between 20-50 years.

PREVENTION

There are no concrete measures, ignoring the root cause.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Diagnostic blood tests. Radiology. Arthroscopy with biopsy in exceptional cases. Treatment gloves to keep the heat at night. Treating pain with dry or moist heat. Hard mattress or placing a board over the mattress (or mattress sheets or known "bodyguard.") Exercise bound, unless there is low-grade fever, then to rest until they drop. Physical therapy can help improve the condition. Sleeping 10-12 hours and not getting too tired. Medication non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin and other salicylates, gold salts and immunosuppressive provided by prescription and under close medical supervision, the side effects of these drugs. Cortisone is effective for short periods to relieve pain, but causes more side effects and does not prevent the degeneration of the joints.

Regarding the best time to go to consultation by a joint problem, recommended when:

Muscle pain or arthritis in a sudden and intense back or other joints, and prevent the development of normal activities.

There is discomfort in joints still being tolerable persists for long periods of time (weeks or months), or progressively more intense and limiting (when pain prevents feet or knees down stairs, for example).

Joint inflammation appears with other complaints, including fever, malaise, fatigue, hair loss, skin sensitivity to sun and dry eyes or mouth.

They have problems with arthritis or discomfort in muscles or skeleton only controlled with medication and have not been assessed recently by a specialist.

The results of any lab tests suggest a rheumatic disease, which has not led therapy.

A woman at age close to menopause or after it has received attention and surveillance to monitor the health of your bones and joints.

POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS

Impaired vision.

Deformities permanent limbs.

Digestive problems by medication.

The disease can be mild or severe.

It is incurable, but the decrease in pain and disability prevention may be possible with early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

75% of patients on a very considerable improvement. 5-10% does not despite it.

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Understanding Diseases/Varicose Veins

Whether you have been diagnosed with varicose veins or not, you've probably heard of them before, and you probably have an idea of what they look like. If you have or think you might have them, here is some information that we hope can help you decide whether or not you should seek treatment.

What Causes Them?

Varicose veins are characterized by weakened veins that are close to the surface of the skin. They tend to be stretched which is what causes them to be weaker than a normal vein. This occurs when blood pools within a vein due to damaged or malfunctioning valves within the veins themselves. When the blood pools, the vein is forced to expand, stretching and weakening the walls of the vein.

Symptoms

There are both visible and non-visible symptoms of varicose veins. If you have them, you may notice your legs feeling achy and heavy after standing or restless when lying down. You also may notice that the skin over your veins is abnormal colored or shiny, and you may experience swollen, itchy, and painful ankles or feet. Injuries to them tend to bleed more than normal as well.

Diagnosis

While they can usually be diagnosed by a simple physical examination, there are also a number of tests that may be done. The Trendelenburg Test requires you to raise your leg to the level of your heart allowing excess blood to leave your leg. Once you stand up, your doctor will watch your legs for varicose veins as they will become visible almost immediately as the blood rushes back to your legs. Another test uses a tourniquet to stop the blood flow to the leg and then uses the same procedure. In addition, ultrasound and venography are tests that may be used to determine what is causing your varicose veins.

Treatment

Unfortunately, once varicose veins causes the walls of a vein to be weekend and stretched, they will never return on their own. Fortunately, most people are able to find relief without having to undergo any medical procedure. Lifestyle treatment can involve elevating the legs occasionally to reduce swelling and wearing compression stockings to improve circulation. For people who require medical treatment to relive symptoms from varicose veins, there are a number of minimally invasive procedures that can help. Endovenous laser ablation and endovenous radiofrequency ablation use a catheter to seal of the vein using a laser or radio energy. Sclerotherapy is the injection of a solution that irritates the inside of the vein, causing it to swell and stick together, and creating scar tissue and destroying the vein. For the most severe of varicose veins, surgical treatment may be required.

If your symptoms are getter tough to bear, consider contact a varicose veins doctor near you.

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Understanding Diseases/ Osteoarthritis, its symptoms & treatment

Osteoarthritis, sometimes referred to as known as degenerative arthritis, is a form of arthritis that affects heavy weight bearing joints such as the knees and hips. It is caused by the breakdown and loss of cartilage within the joints. We need cartilage in our joints to help cushion the bones. known as degenerative arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a naturally occurring condition which commonly occurs the more we age. Of all the types of arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most common.

Osteoarthritis, or OA as its is sometimes known as, mostly affects the hands, feet, spine, and other large weight bearing joints, such as the hips and knees. There are two types of osteoarthritis, primary and secondary. Primary OA is when there is no known cause, in most cases being put down to age. Secondary OA is when the cause of the condition has been identified, usually relating to another disease or condition such as obesity or diabetes.

diagrammatic presentation of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Unlike other types of arthritis, the only prominent symptom of OA is pain. There can often be swelling and stiffness caused by movement and in more severe cases can be present even with minimal amounts of movement. The condition can also cause bones to develop and enlarge within the hands, causing what's known as a Heberden's node to form at the end of the fingers. Other nodes, such as Bouchard's node, can also develop in the middle joints of the fingers

Osteoarthritis Treatment

There is a wide range of osteoarthritis treatment available which help counter act the symptoms of OA, that range from exercise, to pain relief drugs and new innovative treatments.

The easiest method of treatment is exercise and lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regime can dramatically lower the chances of developing osteoarthritis. Exercise helps improve and develop muscle around the joints which help add support to the bone joints. Popular exercises include swimming, cycling and walking.

Mild sufferers of OA may find that pain killers such as aspirin and Tylenol are sufficient enough treatments to help relieve the pain.

New treatments of osteoarthritis include the anti-inflammatory lotion, Voltaren Gel and the Flector Patch which are being used as treatments for pain relief.

Sometimes your doctor may suggest surgery if they feel it will help. If surgery is not a compatible option they may refer the patient for hyaluronic acid injections. These can be extremely effective in their treatment of Osteoarthritis.

The Future of Osteoarthritis

There has been a great advance in arthritic treatments in the past decade and this doesn't seem set to stop. Osteoarthritis is an extremely common condition and scientists are always on the lookout for more innovative and successful treatments to help battle, prevent and cure the condition. Recently researchers have found that doxycycline, a tetracycline drug, has been shown to slow the progression of cartilage degeneration in the knees of patients with OA. More studies are needed to determine the importance of this discovery, but this is can be viewed as an exciting advancement and a step in the right direction.

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