Neurology Diagnostics

Posts Tagged ‘Neurology’

A new Canadian study just an apparent paradox impact on health has been known for years: Why patients admitted on weekends are more likely to die than those who do on weekdays?

The latest research, published in the journal Neurology, has investigated over 20,000 cases of hospitalization for stroke or stroke, and identified the same pattern: those who went to the hospital on Saturday or Sunday had a 8.1% risk of dying, compared with 7% of the remaining affected after taking other risk factors such as age, severity of urgency and other conditions.

“We wanted to determine whether the severity of stroke on weekends compared to weekdays, could explain the lower survival rate,” says Dr. Moira K. Kapral, author of the study from the University of Toronto in Ontario (Canada). “Our results suggest that the severity of infarction is not necessarily the reason for this discrepancy.” Read the rest of this entry »

Seldom can study the role of different parts of the brain with as much accuracy as when an individual is totally devoid of such structure or their action, something rare. But that is the case of a U.S. citizen known by the initials SM, who suffers from a rare condition that caused the two tonsils were destroyed and lives without fear.

These structures (located one in each hemisphere of the brain) are formed by thousands of cores, as part of the limbic system, involved in regulating emotions. Among them, the fear. Animal studies from rats to monkeys, have shown that the amygdala is crucial to terror, from processing to recognition and induction of a response. “But little is known about its role in inducing aware of behaviors related to fear,” the authors write in the journal Current Biology. Read the rest of this entry »

All research points to the same effect. Fun activities such as completing puzzles, crossword puzzles, reading and listening to the radio may delay the first signs of dementia. A new study published in Neurology has discovered a surprising fact. It concluded that in those cases in which dementia occurs later, the progression seems to be faster.

As explained by the principal author of this work, Robert Wilson, “Our results suggest that the benefit of delaying the signs of cognitive decline could lead to more rapid evolution of dementia in later years, but the question is why this happens.” Read the rest of this entry »

Warning signs. If you have any of the following symptoms with a sudden onset:

- Loss of strength in the face, arm or leg on one side of the body.
- Disorders of sensation, feeling “tingling” of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body.
- Sudden loss of vision, partial or total, in one or both eyes.
- Slurred speech, difficulty in speaking, it costs us to articulate and be understood by those who hear us.
- Feelings of extreme dizziness, unsteadiness, imbalance or sudden unexplained falls, together with any of the symptoms described above.
- Headache of sudden onset, intensity unusual and unexplained.

You can have a stroke and its consequences can be death or disabling sequel do so dependent on another person or caregiver.

What should you do?

1. Tell a relative, friend or neighbor to join you
2. Rushed to the hospital or call the Integrated System of Emergency.

What Not To Do

- Wait until it passes
- Aspirin
- Do not tell anyone not to bother
- Warn your family doctor to come to your house to visit when you can

Do not waste time, every minute counts

A doctor specializing in diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the nervous system, which affects the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles.

Diseases is a neurologist
The most common neurological diseases are migraine and other headaches, memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, sleep disorders, Parkinson’s disease and tremor, gait disorders, epilepsy and unconscious, the pains and neuralgia, muscle weakness and neurological impact of general diseases, stress and depression.

Diagnostic tools which employs
The most important diagnostic tool is the history, during which the patient exhibits symptoms, allowing deduction of injured nervous system. The fundus examination of the cranial nerves, gait and station, reflections, sensitivities and cerebellum to confirm the injury. Finally, if necessary, use additional powerful diagnostic tools to confirm the clinical impression, such as brain MRI, Angio-Reosnancia the brain, and EEG mapping studies, electromyographic studies and conduction velocity, genetic studies , etc.

Treatments that are used
Neurological treatments are usually pharmacological, ie with drugs. On special occasions it is necessary to resort to physical therapy and other physical therapy or psychotherapy that is administered by psychologists and physiotherapists. Generally, medications are prescribed for three to six months and after this time is often convenient to make a review to monitor the effects of treatments. Read the rest of this entry »

Neurology is the science of diseases affecting the nervous system. Neurologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating these diseases.

The nervous system consists of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), peripheral nervous system (nerve roots, nerves, union muscle and nerve and muscles) and autonomic nervous system (responsible for regulating blood pressure, heart rate, sweating, etc.).

Neurological diseases are many, some common (migraine, stress and depression, stroke and cerebral hemorrhage, etc.). And not so common (multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Guillain Barre syndrome, etc.)..

The diagnosis of these diseases is first of all clinical, ie, based on history and patient history and physical examination. Then, when the neurologist sees fit, request more specific examinations such as computed tomography, MRI, EEG, EMG, transcranial Doppler, etc.

Once the diagnosis, the neurologist will find the most effective treatment for the patient. As every patient is different each other, the physician should indicate the drug that creates more appropriate for your patient.

Once the treatment, the patient must go to his neurologist checks prompted. Some diseases require a few checks (eg attacks of vertigo or dizziness) and others require more controls (epilepsy, cerebral vascular attacks, etc.)..

Finally, the main objective is to solve the problem the patient, and if there is no definitive treatment for their disease and find ways to best manage the symptoms the patient may have.

The research, carried out by a Spanish team, was awarded first prize at the III World Congress on Controversies in Neurology.

A group of Spanish researchers has identified the areas in the brain that are impaired when a neurodegenerative process is initiated and appears mild cognitive impairment. “The findings are relevant because they give us clues about the brain areas that we should look to in future make an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Juan Antonio Hernandez Tamames, director of the Laboratory of Medical Image Analysis and Biometrics URJC center where images were analyzed in the study.

The research, carried out by the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), in collaboration with Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer’s Project and the Department of Basic Psychology, National University of Distance Education (UNED), analyzed a total of 40 patients -18 and 22 healthy subjects with mild cognitive impairment-selected sample of 140 individuals used in the study, three-year Early detection of MCI and progression to Alzheimer’s Disease. Analysis of MCI subtype, markers, and Risk Factors. Patients with cognitive impairment were classified as amnestic, amnestic and multidomain not, ie those with amnesia problems and problems in the execution of daily tasks.

The work, which has received the first prize at the III World Congress on Controversies in Neurology held in the Czech Republic last October, shows that in subjects with mild cognitive impairment amnestic begins turning parahippocampal damage the brain – an area close to the memory and memories in the brain. Read the rest of this entry »

Stress, in turn, is a very important factor in the production of brain and myocardial infarction. It is quite common that a person with risk factors with an inherited tendency, triggering a stroke in the context of a stressful situation.

Unfortunately, it is a situation difficult to control medically, which affects the quality of life in general, and especially in big cities today, with so many people stressed, where interpersonal contact is very difficult.

Stress can often go unnoticed. Some people are very sensitive, low stress tolerance, which develops symptoms as a little sweating, dizziness, sometimes can be a high blood pressure, gastritis, depends on what the regular expression that has that personal.

The doctor has to talk a lot with the patient to know if you’re stressed, find out what is happening if the symptoms are transient, if there are other causes that produce stress.

Many times, the experts conclude that someone is suffering stress through directed questioning and in sufficient time to do it.

Stress is a more specific field of psychiatry to neurology, but what is clear is that a painting can become prolonged depression and panic attacks.

Many times you have to prescribe antidepressant medication. There are new medications that are antidepressants last generation, very tolerated, very effective for panic crisis that usually come after prolonged stress.

Childhood neurological cause much distress in the family. However, thanks to scientific advances, most young patients can enjoy a full life today.

What would be the most common conditions in this specialty.

There are two sets of conditions which by their frequency in childhood and adolescence, would represent the main reasons for consultation at the neurological specialty: developmental disorders and so encompass the paroxysms.

A not insignificant percentage of children has a developmental disorder of sufficient magnitude to require an expert assessment. The reasons for consultation vary by age:

• In infants: is manifested in the acquisition of maturational patterns, especially motor.

• At stage Kindergarten disorders in language development.

• At school age and adolescence in learning disorders and behavior.

Read the rest of this entry »