Restless legs syndrome (also called Willis-Ekbom disease) is a neurological disorder that has been researched extensively, but many aspects of the disease remain unknown. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is characterized by a strong urge to move one’s legs, including tingly, pulling, aching, or burning feelings when at rest. Patients with RLS may present with a range of mild to severe symptoms (Eisenberg, 2013). Symptoms generally worsen at night when lying down or sitting but can also affect normal daily activities and usually are relieved with movement. It is estimated that 7 out of 100 people in the United States are currently suffering from RLS. RLS can affect people of any age; however, symptoms generally worsen with age. RLS is understood to have strong genetic causes involving iron deficiency (Eisenberg, 2013). Because there is presently no test to diagnosis RLS, the only diagnosis material includes objective measures. There is currently no cure for RLS, but many lifestyle changes and medical treatments can help patients cope with symptoms. Exercise, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, quitting smoking, wearing compression stockings, and light therapy may alleviate some RLS symptoms (Eisenberg, 2013). The most common medical treatments for RLS are dopamine agonists (such as L-Dopa), alpha-2-delta ligands (such as gabapentin, an antiseizure medicine), and intravenous iron or iron supplement pills, but other therapies include benzodiazepines and low potent opioids (Comella, 2014). Connor’s (2011) “Profile of Altered Brain Iron Acquisition in Restless Legs Syndrome” explores the control of iron in brains of RLS patients.
Previous research has suggested that the blood-brain barrier acts as a simple transport system. The results fro...
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When intracellular iron levels are low, it is the responsibility of transferrin receptor messenger RNA to increase the translation of specific proteins. Iron regulatory proteins support this transferrin receptor messenger RNA and therefore are essential to regulating brain iron levels (Conner et al., 2011). RLS patients have a decrease in iron regulatory proteins and, therefore, low iron levels in neuromelanin cells. The decrease in iron regulatory proteins causes decrease storage of iron in the endothelial cells (Conner et al., 2011). One treatment plan for patients with RLS involves intravenous iron supplements. Replenishing the lost iron in the endothelial cells has shown to help alleviate some symptoms of RLS. More research is needed to completely understand the mechanisms behind iron release, iron uptake, and iron storage in patients with RLS.
Hypomagnesemia is defined as a level less than or equal to 1.5 mg/dl (Mag Analysis, (2013). Often times an overall decrease in calorie and food intake can cause the magnesium to drop. If a patient is starving themselves this process drops magnesium levels. Decreased intestinal absorption or malabsorption syndromes will play a role in magnesium being low. Often if a patient has a resection of the small intestine the mag levels w...
In the United States 54 million people have a disability and only 15 percent were born with a disability (Jaeger & Bowman, 2005). If a person lives long enough, it is statistically likely that they will develop some kind of disability in their advancing years (Jaeger & Bowman, 2005). At some point in your life you could have experience a fractured bone, a minor cut, or had some type of surgery. Imagine after some minor injury that you may not even remember and then experiencing a constant pain so agonizing that no amount of pain medication can make you comfortable (Lang & Moskovitz, 2003). Some additional symptoms that you may also experience are severe burning pain, changes in bone and skin, excessive sweating, tissue swelling and extreme sensitivity to touch (Juris, 2005). These symptoms are associated with a disease that is called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) but more recently termed as complex regional pain syndrome, type 1 (CRPS 1) (Juris, 2005). For simplification purposes this disease will be referred to as RSD throughout this paper.
Most fibromyalgia patients suffer pain and hence the main reason of becoming sleepless. Little that people know that lack of sleep leads to magnesium deficiency as sleep disturbance impact the secretion of growth hormone. This essential hormone aids in the insulin growth factor or the IGF-1 which is very important in tissue repair. It also influences the magnesium levels within the cells. It’s crucial to look into the levels of magne...
... gastrointestinal tract, causing stomach cramps that are consistent. Sleep disturbances or lack of good sleep, usually caused by some form of sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome (RLS) that does not allow the body to completely relax and fall into an uninterrupted deep sleep. Temperature sensitivity, when it’s warm, it feels too hot for them or vise versa for cold or cooler weather. It affects Sensitivity to loud noises or bright lights, limiting their ability to be in a noisy environment like a restaurant or even drive a vehicle at night. Cognitive issues with thinking and memory, such as concentration or disorganized thinking. It also causes the inability to stay focused and cognitive recognition, such as seeing a pen on the counter but not being able to say the word pen. This is very common with fibromyalgia and is often called “fibro fog” (Huffington Post).
Hemochromatosis is a disease which makes your body absorb all of the iron in food, instead of regulating iron intake. Hemochromatosis “attacks” the entire body, especially the places where most of the iron normally goes: the bloodstream and liver. Some symptoms of this disease are bone and joint discomfort, liver problems, irregular heartbeat, and an unusual bronzing of the skin. Armand Trousseau first described it in 1865 as Diabetes bronze, due to people with diabetes showing the bronze-skin symptom. It was thought to be quite rare at the time. About “⅓ or ¼ of people of Western European descent have th...
Another of the common sympotms. Generally is described as tirdness not related to physical exaustion. There is no connection wit any muscle weakness and tiredness. There is lack of initiative for physical or mental activity, after rest there is only partial recovry. Patients even weak up tired. Usually this symptoms it’s felt during the afternoon, corelating with daily circadian rhytm.
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a highly specialized endothelial barrier which separates components of the circulating blood from neurons.[6] The BBB acts as the interface between the vascular system and the brain that restricts and regulates the exchange of substances.[7] The blood- brain barrier is responsible for the maintaining of homeostasis of the brain through regulating the chemical environment, the entry of xenobiotic and the immune cell transport.[8, 9] The concentration of water, ions, amino acids, hormones and neurotransmitters in the blood undergo fluctuations. If those fluctuations were allowed to occur in the brain it would lead to local disruption of signal propagation and uncontrolled neural activity.[8, 10] Interruption of cerebral blood flow would result in neuronal death.[11]
Parkinson's disease, Elderly patient, Bradykinesia, Akinesia, Substantia Nigra, Alpha-synuclein, Rest tremor, Micrographia, Levodopa, Carbidopa, Dopamine, Frozen gait, Depression, Deep Brain Stimulation, Hospice, Living will and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPHC).
Sleep disorders are a very serious problem for a lot of people. It affects a lot of people 's lives, requiring them to have to live a very different life than the average person. The five most commonly known sleep disorders are insomnia, sleep apnea, sleepwalking, and narcolepsy. Sleep insomnia is when you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep even when you have a chance to do so. Sleep apnea is when you have trouble breathing when you’re asleep. Sleepwalking is when you’re in a deep sleep and you start to walk around or perform some kind of complex behavior. People that are affected by these disorders have a very hard time either getting to sleep or staying asleep. I will be explaining what all of these disorders are and how they affect
The most common type of non-neurological manifestations is declining sense of smell, an early symptom not usually recognized by patients. Among other common signs is the disturbance of the Rapid Eye Movements (REM) during sleep. Patients while sleeping could also have abnormal involuntary movements such kicking, hitting and even shouting. There are other symptoms but are less specific for PD like constipation and lethargy.
Parkinson’s disease is “Characterized by the degeneration of the substantia nigra within the basal ganglia, causing a gradual decrease of the neurotransmitter dopamine” (Webb & Adler, 2008, p. 296). This disease is yet to have a known cause, although researchers are working hard in search of one. In other words, Parkinson’s disease is described as a dopamine deficiency in the caudate nucleus and the putamen (Webb & Adler, 2008, p. 176), and an excess amount of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. There is no answer as to why there is a breakdown of these nerve cells that cause Parkinson’s disease. Researchers are pointing to genetic and environmental factors that may be the cause (The Michael J Fox, n.d.).
Phantom pain refers to the phenomenal experience of pain in a body part that has been amputated or deafferented (Flor, Nikolajsen & Jensen, 2006). The characteristics of phantom pain have been described to occur in quick and sudden attacks of pain shooting up and down the amputated limb as well as cases of constant, excruciating pain whilst intensely perceiving the amputated limb to be cramped or postured abnormally (Katz, 1992). Approximately eighty percent of amputees report suffering from or at least experiencing some level of phantom pain post amputation; therefore it is a prominent issue (Flor, Nikolajsen & Jensen, 2006). Phantom pain is neuropathic pain that has no individual trigger but instead a plethora of psychobiological aspects of neuroplasticity that contribute to the cause of phantom pain (Grusser, Diers & Flor, 2003). The following will: outline the role of the peripheral and central factors associated with phantom pain and discuss the cortical reorganisation of the somatosensory cortex in relation to phantom pain.
Many people around the world today suffer from Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. A movement disorder is a disorder impairing the speed, fluency, quality, and ease of movement. There are many types of movement disorders such as impaired fluency and speed of movement (dyskinesia), excessive movements (hyperkinesia), and slurred movements (hypokinesia). Some types of movement disorders are ataxia, a lack of coordination, Huntington's disease, multiple system atrophies, myoclonus, brief, rapid outbursts of movement, progressive supranuclear palsy, restless legs syndrome, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, tics, Tourette's syndrome, tremor, Wilson disease, dystonia, which causes involuntary body movement, and Parkinson's disease. Parkinson’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, and tics are one of the most widely known of these disorders, known to impair people of movements and rob them of their lives.
Twitchy, sore legs and urges to walk everywhere sound like the perfect combination for a good night’s rest. Although not a common condition among people, it’s a daily feeling for some as they go to bed. Restless Leg Syndrome, or RLS, is a disorder that affects millions of people across the world. The disorder is what it is: restless legs. Most people who hear about RLS usually shrug it off; there’s not anything serious about having a little more excited legs, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case. Restless Leg Syndrome is characterized by only a few related symptoms: urges to move one’s limbs (specifically the legs), “creepy-crawly” senses along the legs, relief comes with exercise, and the severity of the symptoms
Iron is a mineral that is found the in hemoglobin of the Red Blood Cells. It facilitates in the transport of oxygen all over the body. Without this mineral, oxygen cannot be carried to its full capacity. 1 out of 10 women and small children have iron deficiencies. Lacking iron causes lethargy and a weakened immune system. Children who do not have an adequate intake of iron put themselves at risk for intellectual developmental problems. However, an iron deficient person is not necessarily anemic. 7.8 million women are iron deficient, while only 3.3 million women are anemic (http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9704/iron_def.htm). When the deficiency becomes so severe that the circulating Red Blood Count and the minerals Ht, Hg, and Hem drop below normal, anemia occurs (See Figure 1). The hormone androgen causes men and women to have different normal values of the hemogram (http://www.medstudents.com.br/hemat/hemat4.htm). Low ferritin (iron storage molecule) and high TIBC (tota...