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Neuromuscular Diseases - Diagnosis and Treatment

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  Neuromuscular diseases are a group of neurological diseases of a progressive nature whose main characteristic and symptom is loss of strength. It is estimated that there are more than 150 types of neuromuscular diseases, mostly of genetic origin. They are long-term, chronic diseases that cause the loss of the patient's autonomy and usually a great family and social burden. The most common symptoms of these diseases are weakness (eg loss of strength in muscles of the face, neck, arms or legs), altered sensation (eg tingling or numbness) and neuropathic pain or muscular (due to injury to the peripheral nerves or muscles, respectively). Other symptoms may be diplopia (double vision), dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), muscle cramps or contractures, or due to autonomic dysfunction. Neuromuscular diseases can appear at any age and can be genetic (caused by DNA alterations) or acquired (caused by immune-mediated, infectious, toxic, metabolic, neurodegenerative or due to compression...

When Should We Consider Going to a Neurologist?

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  When someone recommends that we go to a neurologist, be it another healthcare professional or a relative, it generates a feeling of uneasiness and fear, because we usually associate neurology with a serious disorder, an irreversible disorder, a degenerative disorder, a disorder that causes dependency. However, this is not always the case. It is true that in neurology, diseases with dramatic courses, gloomy prognoses that generate a permanent disability are managed, but diseases with a very good prognosis are also treated and in which the help of a good professional will improve our quality of life. In this post, New York-based neurologist David Schick is going to try to demystify the visit to the neurologist, giving it a reassuring and confident character and thus avoid the suspicion that is usually generated by the mere mention that a consultation is going to occur. The main reasons for consultation in Neurology have to do with discomfort, complaints, symptoms, which are ve...

Parkinson's Disease: How to Recognize The First Symptoms?

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What is Parkinson's disease? Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder. I t is characterized by the gradual disappearance of certain neurons in the brain: dopamine neurons. As a result of the disease, the production of dopamine (a molecule that allows neurons to communicate with each other, especially present in a region of the brain essential for controlling movements) decreases, which results in impaired motor functions.