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.

Chronic Cerebral Ischemia

Chronic cerebral ischemia is a cerebrovascular insufficiency caused by progressive deterioration of blood supply to brain tissue. The clinical picture of chronic cerebral ischemia consists of headaches, dizziness, decreased cognitive functions, emotional lability, motor and coordination disorders. The diagnosis is made on the basis of symptoms and data of the cerebral vascular ultrasound / ultrasound,…

Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is an acquired lesion of the peripheral nervous system of an autoimmune nature. In the classical version, it is manifested by a typical clinic of symmetrical sensorimotor polyneuropathy with slow monotonous or stepwise progress. CIDP is diagnosed according to clinical data, ENMG criteria, MRI results of the spine or ultrasound…

Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease is a hereditary, slowly progressive disease of the nervous system characterized by choreic hyperkinesis, mental disorders and progressive dementia. The disease is diagnosed using molecular genetic analysis and brain tomography. No etiotropic treatment has been developed. Patients receive symptomatic therapy aimed at suppressing hyperkinesis. The prognosis is unfavorable. ICD 10 G10 Huntington’s disease General information…

Funicular Myelosis

Funicular myelosis is a lesion of the spinal cord that develops due to vitamin B12 deficiency. As a rule, it is combined with pernicious anemia. It is manifested by a disorder of deep sensitivity, motor disorders in the form of sluggish lower paralysis with pyramidal signs, deviations in the mental sphere. Funicular myelosis is diagnosed…

Focal Cortical Dysplasia

Focal cortical dysplasia is an anomaly of the structure of the cerebral cortex, affecting its limited area. Clinically manifested by focal motor epiprimes with loss of consciousness, but of short duration. It is diagnosed by a neurologist or epileptologist according to EEG data, specially conducted MR scanning, subdural electrocorticography, PET of the brain. As a…

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome resulting from a genetically determined phenomenon of central sensitization. It is manifested by diffuse pain in the musculoskeletal structures, combined with fatigue, sleep disorder, depression. It is diagnosed according to clinical criteria with laboratory and instrumental exclusion of rheumatic pathology, organic causes of pain. Treatment is carried out using…

Phantom Pain

Phantom pain is pain in the amputated part of the body that occurs against the background of a pain—free phantom — a sense of the presence of the removed part. The pain appears in the distal parts, can be baking, shooting, compressing in nature. It is diagnosed according to clinical data, electroencephalography is additionally performed,…

Phacomatoses

Phacomatoses are a group of progressive genetically determined pathologies, manifested by polymorphic symptoms with predominant damage to the nervous system, skin, visual organ and accompanied by the appearance of various neoplasms of visceral organs. It is possible to diagnose phacomatoses through the efforts of many specialists and only through a comprehensive examination of the patient…

Brain Injury

Brain injury is a type of traumatic brain injury accompanied by limited morphological changes in cerebral tissues. It is manifested by loss of consciousness, amnesia, vomiting, dizziness, anisocoria, various focal symptoms, meningeal symptom complex, changes in cardiac and respiratory rhythm. The main diagnostic method is CT of the brain. Conservative treatment: correction of vital functions,…

Tuberous Sclerosis

Tuberous sclerosis is a genetic disease characterized by damage to the nervous system in the form of epilepsy and oligophrenia, polymorphic skin symptoms, tumor and non—tumor processes in somatic organs. The diagnostic algorithm consists of a nervous system examination (MRI, CT of the brain, EEG), ophthalmological examination, examination of internal organs (ultrasound, MRI of the…