Characteristics, manifestation and treatment of cerebral encephalopathy in adults and children

1 Classification of the disease

The term "encephalopathy" combines a whole group of diseases that are divided into species, depending on various factors of the onset of the disease.

In particular, they distinguish:

1. Encephalopathy is azotemic psychotic acute.
2. Encephalopathy is anoxic or hypoxic( encephalopathy, occurring against the background of oxygen starvation).It can occur if there is a violation of the ventilation of the lungs, various disturbances in metabolic processes in tissues and vessels. Arterial hypotension and surgical operations on the heart can also cause hypoxic encephalopathy.
3. Encephalopathy arteriosclerotic. It arises against the background of atherosclerosis of the brain.
4. Encephalopathy bilirubinovuyu. The cause of the disease is jaundice, which proceeds in a very severe form. As a result of jaundice, bile pigments and acids have a toxic effect on the basal nuclei( cells) of the brain.
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5. Venous encephalopathy occurs in people of mature age amid various abnormalities in the work of the cardiovascular system and respiratory organs. With this pathology, the venous outflow from the cerebral vessels is disturbed.
6. Congenital encephalopathy. This pathology can occur in the fetus in the third trimester of pregnancy.
7. Encephalopathy is hypertonic. It is a slowly progressing encephalopathy, arising on the background of hypertensive disease. Symptoms may include headache, partial disturbances of the swallowing function, incoherent speech, and the like.
8. Encephalopathy is hypoglycemic.
9. Diabetic encephalopathy. The occurrence of diabetes mellitus precedes the onset of the disease. Symptoms can be severe headaches, asthenic syndrome, decreased visual function, neurological disorders.
10. Dyscirculatory encephalopathy( vascular).The cause of the disease can be atherosclerosis and hypertension.
11. Encephalopathy of the radial. The cause is ionizing radiation.
12. Encephalopathy of the liver.
13. Portable encephalopathy.
14. Post-traumatic brain injury.
15. The enactment of encephalopathy. Occurs after a prolonged stay unconscious or after a coma.
16. Toxic encephalopathy. The reason is neurotropic substances, which a person consumes a long period.
17. Traumatic encephalopathy. A craniocerebral trauma precedes the disease. Symptoms can manifest as epileptic seizures and hypertensive syndrome.
18. The syndrome of Martland. This kind of encephalopathy is "professional", arising mainly from those people who are engaged in boxing.

The sooner treatment is started, the more likely it is to stop the development of brain cell damage.

2 Causes of encephalopathic disorders

Encephalopathy of the brain can result from:

• atherosclerosis of the brain vessels;
• traumatic brain injury;
• congenital abnormalities or abnormalities of the brain;
• hypertension;
• alcoholism, poisoning with toxic substances;
• of intrauterine infection;
• functional renal and hepatic insufficiency;
• of diabetes;
• dysfunction of organs such as the pancreas, adrenal gland and pituitary gland;
• of serious vitamin deficiency;
• poor blood supply;
• prolonged brain hypoxia;
• increased intracranial pressure;
• pathological delivery and pregnancy;
• large body weight of the newborn;
• of neuroinfections;
• disorders of neuroendocrine metabolism.

All organs and systems of the human body are interconnected, therefore any failure and disruption in the operation of internal organs or vessels can lead to brain damage and various disorders of the central nervous system. The most affected are elderly people and newborns. In elderly people, brain disorders most often occur due to various dysfunctions in the work of organs and systems that are invariably present at the age of 50-60.Not the last role in the development of encephalopathy is played by the hereditary factor.

In newborns, the cause of brain disorders is the various infections carried by the pregnant woman during the period of childbearing, heavy births, which can lead to the development of a number of pathologies in the baby, due to the immaturity of its organs. The consequences of the disease in the child can be very severe, so it is so important to diagnose the disease in time and begin its treatment.

3 Symptoms of the disease

Encephalopathy in the elderly develops, as a rule, gradually. Previously, this disease did not bear any name, but simply related to the senile disorders inherent in many people of adulthood. Encephalopathy in people of retirement age can slowly progress( up to 10 years), manifesting itself almost imperceptibly. Most often the patient is assigned to a doctor by his relatives, since the person himself is no longer able to understand anything and seek help.

4 Early signs of

1. pathology Early signs of encephalopathy are manifested as a decrease in memory, mental activity. A person can well remember what happened a few years ago and not remember what was yesterday. One can observe how a patient with encephalopathy can go somewhere and stop, forgetting where he is going and what he wants to do.
2. There is also the inability to remember anything new. Elementary things, which even a small child can remember( work at a computer, skills of turning on household appliances) for a patient with encephalopathy become unattainable.
3. Sleep may be disturbed, and this is manifested not only in the form of insomnia. A person can fall asleep in the middle of a conversation, during the day, and at the same time wake up at night and begin to conduct the usual business, typical for the daytime.
4. Mood swings, when positive emotions and good mood are suddenly replaced by anger, aggression, tearfulness. A person can complain about persistent headaches, general fatigue, decreased vision, hearing impairment.
5. Involuntary convulsions, tremors of the limbs and head, impaired swallowing, shaky gait, increased sweating may also be signs of encephalopathy.

5 Clinical picture in the progression stage of

Most patients experience psychiatric disorders. A person can begin to worry about something, break somewhere to go, something to do. Be sure to be present a strong headache, giving back to the nape of the neck.

The patient may have signs of intoxication: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. At the same time, your head will be spinning from time to time, until you lose consciousness. A person can complain of loss of sensitivity in the area of ​​the upper limb fingers, tongue, nose, or lips.

Vascular brain encephalopathy can manifest itself as a loss of initiative. That is, a person will be completely in control and absolutely uninitialized. In everyday life, this manifests itself in the complete helplessness of the patient, who can not properly dress, prepare food, wash dishes, clean with him. This condition presupposes caring for the patient, because at this stage alone he can not cope with any actions.

Depressive disorders can also be a sign of encephalopathy.

So, a person can for a long time be in a state of apathy to everything that is happening, to feel a feeling of irritability or absent-mindedness.

Signs of encephalopathy in infants are manifested as:

• late or faint screaming when born;
• lack of sucking reflex;
• of anxiety, frequent crying, long time of wakefulness and short sleep;
• problems with heart rhythm;
• increased muscle tone;
• head tilt and reflex jerk;
• frequent and plentiful regurgitation after feeding;
• strabismus, dentistry.

Treatment of such disorders in children takes a long time. In the absence of proper therapy, the consequences can appear in the form of dementia, oligophrenia, delay in development, etc.

6 Diagnostic methods

Various methods are used to diagnose the disease: psychological testing, memory and attention assignments, coordination check. Most often at this stage, a number of violations are identified, which can indirectly indicate brain encephalopathy.

To clarify the diagnosis, a number of additional studies are carried out:

• blood collection for infections;
• measurement of blood pressure;
• metabolic testing;
• for the presence of toxic and narcotic substances;
• check for hepatic function;
• is used for computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging;
• duplex scanning;
• encephalogram and the like.

Diagnosis is also based on the symptoms and signs described by the patient or his relatives. Treatment is appointed by the doctor on the basis of the result of diagnostic tests.

7 How to cure the ailment

The treatment of encephalopathy takes a long time. Given the severity of the disease, the patient's age and the presence of concomitant diseases are prescribed treatment at home or in the hospital. With any form of the disease, complex therapy and a combination of several treatment methods are necessary. With the right approach, it is possible to stop or slow down the development of encephalopathy, whose treatment is effective only when the disease is detected at an early stage.

As treatment it is recommended to apply:

• drug therapy;
• manual therapy;
• acupuncture;
• therapeutic exercise;
• bioresonance stimulation;
• surgical treatment;
• infrared laser therapy.

The main direction of use of medicines includes treatment of the underlying disease, which caused the development of encephalopathy. Also prescribe drugs that help improve metabolic processes in the brain( Piracetam, Alvezin, Lecithin, vitamins, Cinnarizine, Pentoxifylline, etc.).The course of treatment is from 30 to 90 days, after which it is necessary to take a break and continue therapy.

The operation is indicated if the cause of the disease is a traumatic brain injury or a tumor in the brain.

Drug treatment helps to eliminate symptoms, stop the progression of the disease, but you can not restore damaged cells with the help of tablets. For this purpose, stem cells are used that promote the regeneration of damaged neurons, which allows a person not only to get rid of unpleasant symptoms, but also to return to a normal lifestyle.

People with encephalopathy become absolutely helpless. It is very important during the treatment period to support them, to help them, not to pay attention to clumsy and sometimes incorrect actions of the patient. Good care, understanding together with complex therapy are the main steps on the way to a person's recovery.