What strange and rare diseases lurk within neurology?

Neurologist spend most of their time treating many ‘mainstream’ disorders such as epilepsy and migraine. I discussed this in my previous post, what are the most iconic neurological disorders? Neurologists are however required to know many other diseases, often very rare and occasionally esoteric. Some of these diseases are so rare many neurologists haven’t heard of them, or only… Read More What strange and rare diseases lurk within neurology?

Ibrahim Imam2 Comments

7 ominous signs that suggest you need to see a neurologist

Neurologists spend most of their time diagnosing benign conditions which are curable or treatable, or at least people learn to live with. Every now and then we see people with startling symptoms such as coma, convulsions, neck stiffness, or paralysis. These are obviously concerning to patients and their families who have a foreboding of diseases such as meningitis, epilepsy, and stroke.… Read More 7 ominous signs that suggest you need to see a neurologist

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What are other neurology blogs talking about?

I try to keep an eye on other neurology bloggers tapping away at their blogs. I previously listed the top neurology blogs in my posts, what is the state of neurology on the blogoshpere? and later updated the list of neurology blogs. What are these bloggers up to? Here are 5 interesting posts to give a taste. 1. From: Neuroskeptik There was a recent,… Read More What are other neurology blogs talking about?

Ibrahim Imam4 Comments

What are the prospects of stamping out Huntington’s disease?

Huntington’s disease (HD) is, without doubt, one of the most dreaded neurological disorders. It is named after George Huntington, but the first description is probably by Charles Oscar Waters in 1842. It is dominantly inherited, each child carrying a 50% chance of acquiring the faulty gene. The genetics is slightly tricky because HD is also a tricnucleotide repeat expansion disorder, similar to… Read More What are the prospects of stamping out Huntington’s disease?

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Standing up to the challenge of refractory epilepsy

In neurology, the word ‘refractory‘ is almost exclusively used in relation seizures. It may apply to drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), or to rampaging status epilepticus.’Refractory’ doesn’t sound good in whatever context it is used, typically connoting a situation beyond redemption. But this is not the case with epilepsy. Rather than a bell tolling in despair, refractory is used in… Read More Standing up to the challenge of refractory epilepsy

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What is the startling research unsettling the treatment of myasthenia gravis?

The long-term treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG) relies on drugs which suppress the immune system. I listed some of these in my previous post titled How is innovative neurology research energising myasthenia? Steroids are the established first line immune suppressing treatment for MG but because of their many nasty side effects, they cannot be used at effective doses for… Read More What is the startling research unsettling the treatment of myasthenia gravis?

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