“The nervous system is a complex, sophisticated system that regulates and coordinates body activities. It is made up of two major divisions, including the following:

• Central nervous system. This consists of the brain and spinal cord.
• Peripheral nervous system. This consists of all other neural elements, including the peripheral nerves and the autonomic nerves.

The best way to manage nervous system disorders is with the help of a team of healthcare providers. You may not need all members of the team at any given time. But it’s good to know who they are and how they can help.”.

John Hopkins Medicine

The nervous system transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body, including internal organs. In this way, the nervous system’s activity controls the ability to move, breathe, see, think, and more.

The nervous system is a complex, sophisticated system that regulates and coordinates body activities. It is made up of two major divisions or has 2 main parts, including the following:

• Central nervous system. This consists of the brain and spinal cord.
• Peripheral nervous system. This consists of all other neural elements, including the peripheral nerves and the autonomic nerves.

• Eyes
• Ears
• Sensory organs of taste
• Sensory organs of smell
• Sensory receptors located in the skin, joints, muscles, and other parts of the body

What are some disorders of the nervous system?

The nervous system is vulnerable to various disorders. It can be damaged by the following:

• Trauma
• Infections
• Degeneration
• Structural defects
• Tumors
• Blood flow disruption
• Autoimmune disorders

Disorders of the nervous system

Disorders of the nervous system may involve the following:

• Vascular disorders, such as stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage and hematoma, and extradural hemorrhage
• Infections, such as meningitis, encephalitis, polio, and epidural abscess
• Structural disorders, such as brain or spinal cord injury, Bell’s palsy, cervical spondylosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, brain or spinal cord tumors, peripheral neuropathy, and Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Functional disorders, such as headache, epilepsy, dizziness, and neuralgia
• Degeneration, such as Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington chorea, and Alzheimer disease

Signs and symptoms of nervous system disorders

The following are the most common general signs and symptoms of a nervous system disorder. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

• Persistent or sudden onset of a headache
• A headache that changes or is different
• Loss of feeling or tingling
• Weakness or loss of muscle strength
• Sudden loss of sight or double vision
• Memory loss
• Impaired mental ability
• Lack of coordination
• Muscle rigidity
• Tremors and seizures
• Back pain which radiates to the feet, toes, or other parts of the body
• Muscle wasting and slurred speech

The symptoms of a nervous system disorder may resemble other medical conditions or problems. Always consult your healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

Healthcare providers who treat nervous system disorders

Healthcare providers who treat nervous system disorders may have to spend a lot of time working with the patient before making a probable diagnosis of the specific condition. Many times, this involves performing numerous tests to eliminate other conditions, so that the probable diagnosis can be made.

Neurology. The branch of medicine that manages nervous system disorders is called neurology. The medical healthcare providers who treat nervous system disorders are called neurologists.

Neurological surgery. The branch of medicine that provides surgical intervention for nervous system disorders is called neurosurgery, or neurological surgery. Surgeons who operate as a treatment team for nervous system disorders are called neurological surgeons or neurosurgeons.

Rehabilitation for neurological disorders. The branch of medicine that provides rehabilitative care for patients with nervous system disorders is called physical medicine and rehabilitation. Healthcare providers who work with patients in the rehabilitation process are called physiatrists.

“It’s commonly associated with several other conditions, including:

• type 2 diabetes
• inflammatory bowel disease
• heart disease
• psoriatic arthritis
• anxiety
• depression.”

healthline

“Psoriasis effects more than 3 percent of the U.S. adults (your looking at 900,000 adults roughly).”.

National Psoriasis Foundation

“The age at which Spinal Muscular Atrophy-SMA symptoms begin roughly correlates with the degree to which motor function is affected: The earlier the age of onset, the greater the impact on motor function.  SMA involves the loss of nerve cells called motor neurons in the spinal cord and is classified as a motor neuron disease.In the most common form of SMA (chromosome 5 SMA, or SMN-related SMA), there is wide variability in age of onset, symptoms, and rate of progression. On Dec. 23, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Spinraza (nusinersen) for the treatment of SMA. Spinraza is designed to treat the underlying defect in SMA, which means it potentially may be effective at slowing, stopping, or perhaps reversing the symptoms of SMA.”

MDA Muscular Dystrophy Association

“If your wondering what is the difference between muscular atrophy and dystrophy here is the key; the difference between atrophy and dystrophy is that atrophy is a disorder that causes partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body and decrease in size of a cell, organ or tissue, while dystrophy is a group of disorders that causes weakness in the tissues in the body and leads to reduced mobility.”

MAYO CLINIC

The most common form of muscular dystrophy – Duchenne muscular dystrophy – typically affects young boys, but other variations can strike in adulthood.

Currently, there is no cure for muscular dystrophy, but certain physical and medical treatments can improve symptoms and slow the disease’s progression.

is a group of diseases that make muscles weaker and less flexible over time. It is caused by a problem in the genes that control how the body keeps muscles healthy. For some people, the disease starts early in childhood. Others don’t have any symptoms until they are teenagers or middle-aged adults.

How muscular dystrophy affects you or your child depends on the kind. Most people’s condition will get worse over time, and some people may lose the ability to walk, talk, or care for themselves. But that doesn’t happen to everyone. Other people can live for many years with mild symptoms.

There are more than 30 kinds of muscular dystrophy, and each is different based on:

• The genes that cause it
• The muscles it affects
• The age when symptoms first appear
• How quickly the disease gets worse

People usually get one of nine major forms of the disease:

• Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common form. It mainly affects boys, and starts between ages 3 and 5.
• Becker muscular dystrophy is like Duchenne, except milder. It also affects boys but the symptoms start later — between ages 11 and 25.
• Myotonic muscular dystrophy is the most common form in adults. People who have it can’t relax their muscles after they contract. It can affect both men and women, and it usually starts when people are in their 20s.
• Congenital muscular dystrophy starts at birth or shortly afterwards.
• Limb-Girdle muscular dystrophy often starts in a person’s teens or 20s.
• Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy affects the muscles of the face, shoulders, and upper arms. It can affect anyone from teenagers to adults in their 40s.
• Distal muscular dystrophy affects the muscles of the arms, legs, hands, and feet. It usually comes on later in life, between ages 40 and 60.
• Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy starts in a person’s 40s or 50s. It causes weakness in the muscles of the face, neck, and shoulders, and droopy eyelids (ptosis), followed by difficulty swallowing (dysphagia).
• Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy affects mainly boys, usually starting around age 10. People with this form often have heart problems along with muscle weakness.

Stayed tune for part III this weekend!

“SMA is the leading genetic cause of death in infancy, and it is estimated that 1 in 50 Americans is a gene carrier; and early detection and treatment are key to improving long-term health outcomes for people with SMA.”

Michigan.gov