Recognizing Autoimmune encephalitis
September 29, 2023
Autoimmune encephalitis is an inflammatory condition that affects the brain.It is caused by one's own immune system targeting the brain.As awareness about this condition has increased and diagnostic tests have become more accessible, autoimmune encephalitis is being recognized as cause neurological dysfunction that was previously not well defined.Patients present with one or more of the following symptoms – confusion, seizures, movement disorders, neuropsychiatric symptoms among others. The...
Migraines and Multiple Sclerosis
September 6, 2023
Hot, humid days are bad for migraine! Migraines are a common neurological problem that can interfere with a person’s ability to function.The individual has a hypersensitive cerebral cortex. Their brain is just more sensitive to all sensory inputs. They are sensitive to lights, noise, smells and movement and sometimes one sensory modality more than others.This hypersensitivity may be pervasive and manifest without the headache phase. They may have transient visual loss that is bright and...
Multiple Sclerosis and Genetics
August 2, 2023
On one hand many newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) patients ask why they are the first ones in their family with MS. On the other hand, we see patients where one or more family members have the disease. MS is not a classically inherited disease; however, the risk of developing MS is higher for siblings or children of a person with MS than for the general population. The lifetime risk of MS in first-degree relatives of MS patients is estimated at 3%. Important knowledge also comes from...
