What is it?
A condition where the nerves get disrupted or damaged and hence affecting the link between the brain and the muscles and senses.
Nerves are like the wires that carry ‘messages’ between the brain and spinal cord and the rest of the body.
There are two types of nerves:
Motor nerves- carry messages from brain and spinal cord to the muscles.
Sensory nerves- carry messages from brain and spinal cord regarding touch, temperature, smell and taste.
Please note this is not a full exhaustive list but of more common conditions where one has acquired the condition rather than those discovered at birth or a young age, a specialist will conduct further tests for rare conditions.
Examples include:
All over body (General):
Adult-Onset Leukoencephalopathy with Axonal Spheroids and Pigmented Glia
Adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD)
Angelman syndrome
Apraxia
Ataxia
Ataxia with vitamin E deficiency (AVED)
Behcet syndrome
Brown-Sequard syndrome
Bulbar palsy
Cerebral palsy
Charcott-marie tooth disease
Cystic fibrosis
Dermatomyositis
Dementia
Epilepsy
Froin’s syndrome
Friedreich’s ataxia
Giant axonal neuropathy
GPT2 deficiency (glutamate pyruvate transaminase 2 deficiency) – lack of brain activity and development
Guillian-barre syndrome
Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 1E
High calcium level conditions
Huntingdon syndrome
KAT6A syndrome
KAT6B-related disorders
Kennedy disease
Kernicterus (to much bilirubin)
Korsakoff Syndrome
Lambert-Eaton Syndrome
Locked-in syndrome
Lyme disease
Lysosomal Lipid Storage and/or Lysosomal Lipid Metabolism Disorders and/or Mucopolysaccharides Metabolism Disorders (Mucopolysaccharidoses)
Lou-Gehrig’s disease
Lupus
Mitochondrial Myopathy/Encephalomyopathy
MOG antibody disease
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Myasthenia gravis (MG)
Nerve compression syndrome
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (Devic disease)
Polymyositis
Parkinson’s disease
Primary lateral sclerosis
Primary central nervous system lymphoma
Rosenberg-Chutorian syndrome
Serotonin Syndrome
Sarcoidosis (affects eyes, ears, respiratory, heart, stomach , abdominal, kidney liver, muscles, nerves)
Tardive dyskinesia
Tourette’s syndrome
Tumours pressing against nerves
Acromegaly
Antiphospholipid/Hughes syndrome (brain, respiratory, kidney,skin)
East syndrome (affect kidney, ear, movement)
Wolfram syndrome
Wernicke encephalopathy
Head and/or eyes:
Neck:
Mouth:
Chest:
Back:
Shoulder, Arm, Elbow and Hands:
Oesophagus and Stomach and Upper bowel:
Bladder and/or Bowel:
Legs and/or foot and/or toes:
Spinal disease/injury causing neurological conditions {excluding neck- see-neurological (nerve) condition section for those conditions}
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS)
Progressive bulbar palsy
(PBP)
Progressive muscular atrophy (PMA)
Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS)
Table: The four main types of motor neurone disease
Motor neurones affected
Upper motor neurones and lower motor neurones
Upper motor neurones and lower motor neurones
Lower motor neurones
Upper motor neurones
Common signs and symptoms
Limb and torso muscle atrophy
Bulbar muscle weakness (e.g. loss of speech, ability to swallow, ability to chew)
Respiratory muscle decline
Mainly affects bulbar muscles with less prominent limb weakness
Emotional lability
Muscle weakness and wasting, first of hands then rest of lower body
Fasciculation (twitching)
Muscle cramps
Stiff and slow movements, first of legs, then torso, arms, hands and eventually bulbar muscles
Percentage of patients with motor neurone disease (%)
85
5
5–10
1
Life expectancy from time of onset
2–5 years
6 months–3 years
5 years or longer, but often progresses into ALS
5–15 years
Talbot K. Motor neurone disease. Postgrad Med J 2002;78:513–519. doi: 10.1136/pmj.78.923.513
Motor Neurone Disease Association. What is MND? 2018. Available at: https://www.mndassociation.org/about-mnd/where-do-i-start/what-is-mnd/ (accessed March 2019)National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Motor neurone diseases fact sheet. 2018. Available at: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Motor-Neuron-Diseases-Fact-Sheet (accessed March 2019)
Further tests need to be performed by specialists to determine the exact type of condition
Cause
Family history (not polymyositis)
Gene disorder
Excess glutamate nerve messenger
Toxic waste build up in body cells
Abnormal mitochondria function (the mitochondria is the energy source in our body cells)
Glia cells which provide ‘food’ to nerve cells not function properly
Lack of anti-oxidant in cells
Lack of nutrients provided to nerve cells
Abnormal collection of proteins in nerve cells
Injury
Trauma
Stroke
Amyloidosis
Gaucher disease – a genetic disease caused by a defect in the GBA gene which helps to produce an enzyme called glucocerebrosidase, these enzymes helps our body cells to clean up and dispose of a fatty substance in the body called glucocerebroside that the body is otherwise unable to break down. If our body cells has too much of fatty substance the cells are called ‘Gaucher cells’ and begin to build up take over normal body cells functions causing symptoms.
Madelung Disease (excess fat growth due to long term alcoholism )
Vitamin B12 deficiency
Infection i.e.
Syndromes
Vitamins, herbals and minerals
Source: Revive Chiropractic Studio 'Picture showing which parts of spine affect which body Area'
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Symptoms
Weak muscles or unable to perform doing function and gets worse as day goes on e.g. walking, lifting, holding head up?
Difficulty using arms, body and legs, lack of stamina and/or walking difficulties?
General discomfort (muscle weakness), uneasiness or ill feeling (malaise) and/or fatigue (tiredness)?
Difficulty chewing, swallowing, talking, slurred speech?
Muscles on the face affected, is one showing a change in facial expression e.g. a snarling smile?
Aching, painful muscles, muscle cramps/spasms/stiffness?
Short of breath and breathing difficulties?
Constant hiccups ?
Heart palpitations?
Hearing loss?
Weight loss?
Balance and dizziness problems?
Eye(s)/eyelid muscles drooping causing blurred or double vision any visual problems, colour blindness, double vision, vision loss, difficulty focusing, and/or pain behind eye (One or both eyes can be affected)?
Rash?
Any extreme sensitive skin or burning sensation?
Difficulty in concentrating?
Emotional (laugh or cry for no reason)?
Irritated, depressed, anxiety and/or panic attacks?
Increase thirst, heavy sweating and need to urinate frequently?
Improve with rest/sleep?
Overactive (urgency to go to toilet) or under-active bladder?
Male only:
Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:
Medical Emergency Condition
Do not wait, phone for an ambulance
‘Please see your medical doctor even if display some symptoms as as symptoms can vary from individual to individual’
This condition can lead to:
Driving Authority
Exercise tips
This condition may show similar symptoms to:
Detailed Information
Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Motor Neurone Disease/Neurological Disease in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments ).
NHS
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Medscape
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National Organisation of Rare Diseases
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Verywell Health
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