New Delhi: What are neurological disorders & diseases? Our neurological system helps in performing numerous voluntary and involuntary movements involved in daily living. Disorders of the neurological system cause difficulties in movements, vision, body balance, speech, memory, learning, eating or swallowing. If the patient’s nerves, as well as brain, is affected, it is categorised as a neurological disorder, which is a disease that impacts the central and peripheral nervous system. A general list of neurological disorders is as below:

  •  Vascular disorders such as stroke, haemorrhage in the brain, Subarachnoid or Subdural regions
  • Infections such as Meningitis, Encephalitis and brain abscess
  • Structural disorders such as injury/ tumours of brain or spinal cord, Cervical Spondylosis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Functional disorders such as headache, Epilepsy, Vertigo and Neuralgia
  • Degenerative disorders such as Parkinson Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Huntington Chorea, Alzheimer Disease etc.

These diseases can have an immense impact on one’s life and livelihood. Viruses like HIV and parasites like Malaria impact the nervous system. WHO has many times reported on more than a million people getting impacted by disorders like Strokes, Epilepsy, Dementia and even Migraine! So it is important to recognise neurological symptoms at the earliest and take urgent advice and treatment from neurologists.

5 Neurological Symptoms that one should not ignore? Diagnosis is very important and can have a lasting implication on patient care for neurological disorders. The patient is always going to be the first one to observe symptoms. Here is a helping guide for some common signs:

  • Pain in head, neck, back or limbs: Common symptoms of headache or pain in the neck, back, arm or leg can at times be due to sinister diseases. New-onset, especially localised and severe headache with neck stiffness might indicate serious diseases like Meningitis, brain haemorrhage, brain tumour or Venous Sinus Thrombosis. Weakness of limbs with pain in the neck, arm, back, a leg might be indicative of nerve root compression due to disc prolapse, or rarely a serious disease like Guillain-Barre Syndrome that requires emergency treatment
  • Limb Twitching, Tingle, or Weakness: Numbness i.e. partial or complete loss of sensation might indicate neuropathy or spinal cord lesion. This may aggravate difficulty in walking or doing any other physical work. Ongoing weakness, wasting and twitching of limbs may be a symptom of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Sudden weakness of limbs may be due to Acute Neuropathy
  • Unexplained Weakness, Vision Loss, Vertigo, and Speaking or Swallowing Issues: Sudden appearance of neurological symptoms that affect any one side of the body can be because of lesser blood supply to the brain or a haemorrhage. It is critical that if such symptoms are recognised in a patient she/he must be taken to a well- equipped healthcare facility.
  • Seizures, jerking of limbs, loss of consciousness: Episodic excessive electrical activity of the brain can cause seizures, fits or convulsions. Some seizures cause only minor alteration of responsiveness of patients and focal jerking or tingling in the face/limbs. But there is a risk of worsening if they are not diagnosed in time and treated properly.
  • Muscle rigidity, tremors, loss of memory or mental ability: Rigidity, tremors and slowness in the elderly can point to Parkinson’s Disease. A progressive difficulty in memorizing information might be due to Alzheimer’s Disease, where the long-term memory often remains intact, but the short-term memories fade away
    There is no quick solution for neurological diseases, but early detection goes a long way in providing the best patient care. In case of self-diagnosis, or if recognised in any acquaintance, one should consult a Neurologist for effective treatment. The Neurologist may have to conduct a variety of tests to achieve a proper diagnosis of the neurological condition. In a small number of cases, he might require the help of a neurosurgeon or interventional neurologist to operate on serious conditions.

Another important thing is that one must not panic and arrange to have necessary emotional support and care. People who have early diagnosis, proper treatment and a strong support system, generally do well as far as neurological disorders are concerned.