Neurological Disorders and Epilepsy

A type of seizure that affects consciousness and often involves the temporal lobe, resulting in altered behaviors like lip-smacking or repetitive movements. The person experiencing this seizure may have no memory of the event.

A type of seizure that involves distortions of sensory experiences, specifically visual or auditory sensations, and can also lead to vertigo (dizziness) as well as altered memory and thinking.

A diagnostic test used to measure the electrical activity in the brain, helping to identify seizures and other neurological issues.

A serious neurological condition where a seizure lasts for a long time or multiple seizures occur in a row without the person regaining consciousness. It's a medical emergency.

Possible physical consequences of seizures include airway obstruction, impaired oxygen exchange, injury from falls, head trauma, burns, and side effects from seizure medications.

Seizures can have significant psychosocial impacts, including limitations on lifestyle, like driving restrictions and employment challenges, social stigma, and emotional issues like depression and anxiety.

Treatment for Status Epilepticus involves administering medications like lorazepam and diazepam to stop the seizure, followed by longer-acting medications like phenytoin or phenobarbital. Intubation and mechanical ventilation may be necessary.

Diagnosing seizures involves using the patient's description of the event, their medical history, an electroencephalogram (EEG), and blood tests to rule out metabolic issues.

The primary aim of anticonvulsant medications is to control seizures, not to cure the underlying cause.

Anti-seizure medications stabilize nerve cell membranes, preventing spontaneous and disorganized firing that causes seizures.

Home care for seizure sufferers includes taking doses as prescribed, learning emergency procedures, and recognizing potential triggers.

During a seizure, the primary focus is to ensure patient safety, including maintaining a clear airway, preventing head injury, and loosening tight clothing.

During a seizure, it is crucial to avoid putting anything in the patient's mouth, as this could cause further harm.

The ketogenic diet aims to replace glucose with ketones as the brain's energy source, potentially reducing seizure frequency.

Recording details about seizures, such as timing and description, is crucial for accurate diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring.

Managing status epilepticus involves immediate medical intervention like administering medication and ensuring respiratory support.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is characterized by a progressive deterioration of the nervous system, often with periods of remission and exacerbation. Common symptoms include motor problems, sensory problems, cerebellar problems, cognitive issues, and emotional difficulties.

Despite its chronic nature, the average life expectancy after the onset of MS symptoms is over 25 years. Most deaths are due to complications like pneumonia, immobility, or unrelated causes.

Diagnosing MS involves a combination of factors, including patient history, clinical manifestation, and the presence of multiple lesions on MRI scans over time. Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) analysis, with a lumbar puncture, helps confirm the diagnosis by detecting elevated immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels and increased lymphocytes and monocytes.

Corticosteroids are used to treat MS exacerbations by reducing edema and inflammation around demyelination sites. However, they don't affect the long-term outcome or neurological damage from the exacerbation.

Immunomodulators are drugs that target the immune system to reduce the autoimmune processes responsible for destroying myelin in MS.

Immunosuppressive therapy can be beneficial for MS at various stages, including progressive and relapsing forms. However, it must be carefully monitored due to the risk of suppressing the entire immune system.

Physiotherapy is essential for managing MS. It helps relieve spasticity, improve coordination, and trains patients to use unaffected muscles to compensate for impaired ones. Water therapy is also beneficial.

Nurses play a vital role in MS management, focusing on preventing major complications, avoiding triggers like infection, trauma, or stress, and maximizing neuromuscular function to maintain independence in daily activities for as long as possible.

A progressive neurological disorder characterized by the degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in the midbrain, leading to movement problems, stiffness, and tremors.

PD disrupts the balance between dopamine and acetylcholine in the basal ganglia. Dopamine, responsible for inhibiting movement, is lost, while acetylcholine, responsible for excitation, becomes dominant, causing PD symptoms.

The classic triad of PD symptoms includes tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia, which are progressive and affect movement in various ways.

Bradykinesia, the slowing down of movement, is caused by the loss of dopamine, making it difficult to initiate and execute movements smoothly.

Rigidity in PD causes increased resistance to passive movement and sustained muscle contractions, leading to pain and stiffness. It also creates a jerky quality when the joint is moved.

There is no specific test for PD, so diagnosis relies on clinical features, history, and response to medication. At least two of the classic triad symptoms must be present.

Complications of PD include motor difficulties, swallowing problems, sleep disturbances, neuropsychiatric problems, dementia, and increased risks of infections, falls, and orthostatic hypotension.

Orthostatic hypotension is a sudden drop in blood pressure when standing up, common in PD patients due to the disease process and medications. It increases the risk of falls.

PD can also affect mood and behavior with symptoms like depression, anxiety, apathy, fatigue, and pain.

There is no cure for PD, but treatment focuses on managing symptoms with medications, such as levodopa to replace dopamine, and therapies like physical therapy to maintain mobility.

Micrographia is a condition where handwriting becomes progressively smaller and harder to read, often seen in people with Parkinson's disease. It affects the ability to control fine motor movements.

Uncontrolled head movement in someone with Parkinson's disease could indicate serious complications like dyskinesia, a side effect of medication where movements become involuntary and uncontrolled. It needs immediate medical attention.

The highest priority is "Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements related to insufficient dietary intake." This prioritizes nutritional needs due to difficulty eating and swallowing.

Cogwheel rigidity is a characteristic symptom of Parkinson's. It refers to stiff muscles that feel like 'catching' or 'jerking' as they are moved by a doctor or therapist.

Dropping rice kernels and stepping over them helps practice balance and coordination, essential for preventing falls in patients with impaired mobility due to Parkinson's.

Observing for sudden exacerbation of symptoms is crucial. An acute infection can worsen existing Parkinson's symptoms.

Treatment for Parkinson's disease focuses on symptom management using medications and therapies. While there is no cure, the goal is to improve quality of life and maintain independence.

Bradykinesia is the slowness of movement, while rigidity is the stiffness in muscles. Both are key symptoms of Parkinson's and contribute to movement difficulties.