Nervous diseases are diseases that develop as a result of damage to the brain and spinal cord, as well as peripheral nerve trunks and ganglia. Nervous diseases are the subject of study of a specialized field of medical knowledge – neurology. Since the nervous system is a complex apparatus that connects and regulates all organs and systems of the body, neurology closely interacts with other clinical disciplines such as cardiology, gastroenterology, gynecology, ophthalmology, endocrinology, orthopedics, traumatology, speech therapy, etc. The main specialist in the field of nervous diseases is a neurologist.
ND can be genetically determined (Rossolimo-Steinert-Kurschmann myotonia, Friedreich’s ataxia, Wilson’s disease, Pierre-Marie ataxia) or acquired. Congenital malformations of the nervous system (microcephaly, basilar impression, Kimberly anomaly, Chiari anomaly, platybasia, congenital hydrocephalus), in addition to hereditary factors, can lead to unfavorable conditions of intrauterine development of the fetus: hypoxia, radiation, infection (measles, rubella, syphilis, chlamydia, cytomegaly, HIV), toxic effects, the threat of spontaneous termination of pregnancy, eclampsia, Rh conflict, etc. Infectious or traumatic factors affecting the nervous system immediately after the birth of a child (purulent meningitis, asphyxia of a newborn, birth trauma, hemolytic disease) often lead to the development of such nervous diseases as cerebral palsy, childhood epilepsy, oligophrenia.

Acquired ND are often associated with infectious lesions of various parts of the nervous system. As a result of infection, meningitis, encephalitis, myelitis, brain abscess, arachnoiditis, multiple encephalomyelitis, ganglioneuritis and other diseases develop. A separate group consists of traumatic etiology: TBI, spinal cord injury, traumatic neuritis. ND that occur in old age are mainly caused by vascular changes (dyscirculatory encephalopathy, TIA, ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke), less often by metabolic disorders (Parkinson’s disease). The incidence of oncological nervous diseases remains high. The limited space inside the skull or spinal canal leads to the fact that even benign tumors of this localization (astrocytoma, craniopharyngioma, ganglioneuroma) have a malignant course. In addition, the problematic nature of complete removal of CNS tumors causes their frequent recurrence.

Clinical manifestations directly depend on which part of the nervous system was involved in the pathological process. Thus, nervous diseases with brain damage can be accompanied by headache, dizziness, gait and coordination disorders, speech disorders, hearing and vision loss, paresis and paralysis of a central nature, changes in the psyche. Nervous diseases associated with spinal cord pathology are manifested by motor and sensory disorders below the lesion level. Diseases of the peripheral nervous system (trigeminal neuralgia, facial neuritis, intercostal neuralgia, cervical plexitis, polyneuropathies, radial nerve neuropathy, femoral nerve neuropathy, etc.) are characterized by pain syndrome, sensitivity disorders, muscular atrophy, motor disorders, vegetative and trophic changes in the innervation zone of the affected nerve.

The foundation of instrumental diagnostics traditionally consists of such studies as radiography of the spine, Echo-EG, EEG, REG, electromyography, in children of the 1st year of life – neurosonography. They are replaced by more accurate diagnostic methods: computed tomography, MRI, PET of the brain, ultrasound of the vessels of the head, duplex scanning. And, if REG and echoencephalography, as methods of diagnosing nervous diseases, gradually lose their significance, then EMG and EEG remain indispensable. They make it possible to identify functional changes occurring in many that are not diagnosed by neuroimaging methods. In some nervous diseases, diagnostic search requires lumbar puncture, stereotactic biopsy, puncture of the ventricles of the brain, and other diagnostic operations. Since the nervous system is closely interconnected with other organs and systems of the body, for a more accurate diagnosis of nervous diseases, a neurologist (a pediatric neurologist) often needs consultations from other specialists: an ophthalmologist, an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, an orthopedist, etc.

Treatment as a rule, includes a whole range of measures aimed not only at combating the cause of the disease and its etiopathogenetic mechanisms, but also at maximum recovery of the neurological deficit resulting from the disease. For this purpose, physiotherapy, physical therapy, mechanotherapy, reflexology, manual therapy are widely used in the treatment of nervous diseases. Treatment of aneurysms, tumors, intracerebral hematomas, abscesses and cysts of the brain requires surgical intervention. In some cases, surgical treatment is used for epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. Brain surgeries and spinal cord interventions are performed by neurosurgeons. They carry out modern surgical treatment of nervous diseases with the help of minimally invasive microsurgical techniques and under the control of neuroimaging. Methods of functional neurosurgery have been developed that are successfully used for torsion dystonia, cerebral palsy, Huntington’s chorea and other nervous diseases accompanied by muscle tone disorders, tremor or hyperkinesis.
You can learn more about the causes, symptoms, methods of diagnosis and treatment of individual nervous diseases in the corresponding section of the Medical Directory of Diseases. The Medic Journal website also provides descriptions of the main hardware studies that help diagnose various nervous diseases.

Pineocytoma

Pineocytoma is a benign neoplasm of the pineal gland (epiphysis), developing from the glandular cells of the parenchyma. Clinically manifested by symptoms of occlusive hydrocephalus, gaze paresis, strabismus, convergence disorder. In 50% of cases, cerebellar syndrome is observed. Pineocytoma is detected by clinical data, neuroimaging results (cerebral MRI, CT), analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, histological examination.…

Pineoblastoma

Pineoblastoma is a malignant neoplasm originating in parenchymal cells of the pineal gland (epiphysis). It is accompanied by occlusive hydrocephalus, damage to the cerebral trunk, cerebellum. It is manifested by symptoms of sharply increased intracranial pressure, visual, oculomotor disorders, sleep disorders, cerebellar syndrome. Pineoblastoma is diagnosed using neuroimaging, cerebrospinal fluid examination, histological analysis of neoplasm…

Autonomic Neuropathy

Autonomic neuropathy is a lesion of the peripheral structures of the autonomic nervous system, leading to a disorder of the innervation of the somatic systems of the body. It differs in polymorphism, polysystemicity, and the dysfunctional nature of symptoms. The leading clinical manifestation is orthostatic syndrome. The diagnosis is based on the results of cardiovascular…

Primary Progressive Aphasia

Primary progressive aphasia is a gradual breakdown of speech function in the absence of cognitive disorders. It debuts with speech stutters, agrammatism, paraphasias, speech retardation, which gradually transform into gross motor or global aphasia. Progressive aphasia is diagnosed according to EEG data, evoked potentials studies, brain tomography (MRI, PET-CT), neuropsychological testing. Symptomatic pharmacotherapy (nootropics, NMDA…

Pachymeningitis

Pachymeningitis is an inflammation of the dura mater, which is provoked by bacterial, mycotic or viral infection. The pathognomonic sign of the disease is meningeal syndrome, severe headaches, fever and other symptoms of intoxication are also bothering. Verification of the diagnosis requires neuroimaging, lumbar puncture, followed by examination of the cerebrospinal fluid. Etiotropic therapy is…

Mumps Meningitis

Mumps meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges caused by infection with the mumps virus and the penetration of the pathogen through the blood-brain barrier. Neuroinfection occurs after the appearance of typical symptoms of mumps, characterized by headaches, fever, vomiting and meningeal signs. To diagnose the disease, serological examination of the blood, isolation of the…

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is repeated transient short—term attacks of systemic dizziness provoked by a change in the position of the head. They are associated with the presence of otoliths floating in the endolymph or fixed on the cupule. In addition to nausea and sometimes vomiting, attacks of paroxysmal dizziness are not accompanied by any…

Periodic Paralysis

Periodic paralysis is a neuromuscular disease characterized by intermittent paroxysms of transient paralysis of skeletal muscles, causing immobility. It is observed in three variants: hypo-, hyper- and normokalemic form. Diagnosis of myoplegia includes neurological examination, genetic counseling, blood biochemistry, electromyography, if necessary, muscle biopsy and a provocative test with potassium chloride. Therapeutic tactics during the…

Paroxysmal Hemicrania

Paroxysmal hemicrania is a type of unilateral trigeminal headache accompanied by autonomic disorders. Typical episodes of the disease are characterized by short-term attacks of very strong throbbing or aching pains in the temple and / or eye socket. Diagnosis is based on anamnestic information and compliance of the clinical picture with the criteria of ICGB…

Parasomnia

Parasomnia are different types of paroxysmal states that occur during falling asleep, sleeping or shortly after waking up. These include nightmares and fears, nocturnal enuresis, sleep intoxication, somnambulism, sleep paralysis, sleep-related dissociative disorders and eating disorders, night moans, bruxism, and much more. The diagnosis of parasomnia is established according to polysomnography with video monitoring. Additionally,…