Tension Headache

A tension headache is the most common type of headache. It can cause mild, moderate, or intense pain behind the eyes and in the head and neck. It often headache feels like a tight band around their forehead.

There can be  number reasons behind a tension headache, including stress, inadequate sleep and poor posture. The main symptom is pain on both sides of the head. Treatments include pain relievers and other medication, stress reduction, ice or heat on sore muscles.

Types

Tension-type headaches are divided into two main categories — episodic and chronic.

Episodic tension headaches

Episodic tension-type headaches can last from 30 minutes to a week. Frequent episodic tension-type headaches occur less than 15 days a month for at least three months. Frequent episodic tension-type headaches may become chronic.

Chronic tension-type headaches

This type of tension-type headache lasts hours and may be continuous. If the headaches occur 15 or more days a month for at least three months, they're considered chronic.

Causes

Tension headaches are caused by muscle contractions in the head and neck regions. These types of contractions can occur due to -

• foods
• activities
• stressors

Some people develop tension headaches after staring at a computer screen for a long time or after driving for long periods. Cold temperatures may also trigger a tension headache.

Other trigger factors include:

• alcohol
• eye strain
• dry eyes
• fatigue
• smoking
• a cold or flu
• a sinus infection
• caffeine
• poor posture
• emotional stress
• decreased water intake
• lack of sleep
• skipping meals

Symptoms

• Dull pain
• Pressure around the forehead
• Tenderness around the forehead and scalp

The pain is usually mild or moderate, but it can also be intense. In this case, one might confuse tension headache with a migraine. But tension headaches don’t have all the symptoms of migraines, such as nausea and vomiting.

Treatment

Basic remedies are -

• Drinking plenty of water.  
• Adequate sleep.
• Not to stay in empty stomach for long time.
• Pain relievers
• Apply a heating pad or ice pack  for 5 to 10 minutes
• Take a hot bath to relax tense muscles.
• Take frequent computer breaks to prevent eye strain.

Using medications in conjunction with stress management techniques is effective.

Tay Sachs disease is an uncommon genetic disorder that passes down from the parentsto the children. In this disease absence of a particular enzyme create trouble in breaking fatty substances. As a result the fatty substances becomes toxic and get accumulates in the brain and the spinal cord which causes death of nerve cells and neurological problems.  

Symptoms 
Usually symptoms starts showing up when the baby becomes 3 months old. The symptoms increase and usually flair up within age 4. The symptoms include:  
Low muscle tone and muscle weakness 

• Sudden falling asleep 
• Less responsiveness 
• Lack of attentiveness 
• Lack of eye movement and inability to make eye contact 
• Falling behind in meeting motor milestone
• Slowly losing ability to do tasks the baby used to do before 
• Cherry red spot in the eye
• Losing vision  

Cause 
Tay Sachs disease is a hereditary disease. A baby gets affected by it if both the parents are carrier of this disease.    

Diagnosis 
To diagnose Tay Sachs disease, doctors prescribe blood tests that measures level of ‘hexosaminidase A’ protein in the blood. Often, the affected child will have no count or much reduced count of this protein. Also, cherry red eye spot, a typical sign is checked to diagnose this disease. 

Treatment 
Tay Sachs disease is a fatal disease. So far no treatment is there and has no cure. Only symptomatic medicines are provided to minimize the conditions.  
 

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces within the spine, which can put pressure on the nerves that passes through the spine. Spinal stenosis develops usually in the lower back and the neck. The condition develops due to age-related wear and tear. Symptoms include pain, numbness, muscle weakness and impaired bladder or bowel control. Some people with may not have symptom. Treatment includes medication, physiotherapy and possibly surgery.
Causes
Spinal stenosis has many causes. Age related wear and tear and injuries are risk factors. The causes of Spinal stenosis include – 

• Bone overgrowth or Arthritic spur
• Bulging disk or herniated disk
• Thockened ligaments
• Spinal fractures or injuries
• Spinal cord cyst / tumor
• Congenital Spinal stenosis

Symptoms 
Symptoms of lower back (lumbar) spinal stenosis include:

• Pain in the lower back. Pain can come and go.
• Sciatica. This is pain that begins in the buttocks and extends down the leg and may continue up to foot.
• A heavy feeling in the legs, which may lead to cramping in one or both legs.
• Numbness or tingling in the buttocks, leg or foot.
• Weakness in the leg or foot (as the stenosis worsens).
• Pain that worsens when standing for long periods of time or walking 
• Pain that lessens when leaning, bending slightly forward, walking uphill or sitting.
• Loss of bladder or bowel control (in severe cases).

Symptoms of neck (cervical) spinal stenosis include:

• Pain in the Neck 
• Numbness or tingling in the arm, hand, leg or foot. 
• Weakness or clumsiness in the arm, hand, leg or foot.
• Loss of balance.
• Loss of functional efficiency in hands, like writing or buttoning shirts.
• Loss of bladder or bowel control (in severe cases).

Diagnosis
Apart from checking medical history and physical examination the doctor may advise -Imaging tests like X ray, MRI, CT Scan or CT Myelogram.

Treatment 
Treatment for Spinal stenosis include medication, physical therapy, steroid injections, decompression procedure and surgery.

Shaken Baby Syndrome is an extremely serious brain injury that develops from forcefully shaking an infant by parents or caregivers out of frustration or anger.  It may cause permanent brain damage or death also.

Symptoms

Shaken Baby Syndrome includes the following symptoms:

• Irritability
• Drowsiness
• Seizures
• Poor eating
• Vomiting
• Breathing difficulty  
• Developing paralysis
• Coma

Cause

Tiny babies have weak neck muscles which cannot support their head unless they grow up a little. At this stage shaking them hard makes their brain move back and forth inside their head that results into a very serious permanent brain injury. It often becomes fatal or develops blindness, hearing loss, seizures, cerebral palsy and learning disability.

Diagnosis

Often it becomes difficult to diagnosis if somebody shook the baby or not as the babies cannot speak.

Once the doctors suspects a Shaken Baby Syndrome, they might order imaging tests like X-ray, CT scan or MRI are the usual tests or eye tests to check evidences for retinal bleeding. 

Treatment

Shaken Baby Syndrome needs immediate attention before it becomes too late. The adults’ confession and cooperation is extremely important to start the treatment. The process of treatment depends on the severity of the conditions. If necessary immediate breathing support and a surgery might be ordered to stop bleeding in the brain.    

Sacroilitis causes inflammation in one or both the Sacroiliac joints that connects lower portion of spine and pelvis. The pain occurs in the lower back region, buttocks and spread towards the legs. Standing for a long time or climbing stairs can aggravate the pain.

Low back pain is the primary symptom of this disease.

The common causes that develop Sacroilitis include:

• Traumatic Injury
• Arthritis
• Pregnancy

Initially a doctor physically checks a patient suffering from pain in the lower back and buttocks. If Sacroiliitis is suspected, the doctor may prescribe the following tests:

• X-ray
• CT scan
• MRI
• Ultrasound
• Anesthetic Injection

Treatment procedure of Sacroiliitis largely depends on the cause of developing this disease and its condition. Managing pain and treatment may include: 

• Medication
• Physical therapy
• Surgery and other procedures

Naegleria is a rare type of brain infection. This is a fatal disease which caused by a type of brain eating amoeba.

Symptoms 
Symptoms of Naegleria include headache, nausea and vomiting and fever in the initial stage of the disease. In more advance stage, symptoms like stiff neck, confusion, losing balance and attention towards surroundings, hallucinations and seizures occurs. 

Cause
Naegleria occurs if Naegleria fowleri, a special type of free-living amoeba enters a human body usually through nose and travel to the brain. This amoeba is found in warm freshwater riversor lakes or springs. Most of the times swimmers or divers get it while practicing water sports.  

Diagnosis 
Naegleria infection is diagnosed through a clinical test of Cerebrospinal fluid. In addition to this doctors may also order imaging tests like CT scan or MRI.

Treatment 
A few people survive Naegleria as they are timely diagnosed. But most of the times it becomes fatal.   Several antibiotics and anti-fungal drugs are used to control this disease.  
 

Meralgia paresthetica is a health condition that occurs due to compression of the particular nerve responsible for providing sensation to the upper portion of leg in human body. It develops burning pain, tingling feeling and numbness in the outer part of thigh.

Symptoms
Here are the common symptoms of Meralgia paresthetica:

• Tingling feeling
• Burning pain
• Numbness and decreased sensation   
• Intensified pain to even a light touch
• Aggravated pain with standing or walking
• Occurs in one side of the body

Cause 
The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve passes through abdomen to the groin and to the upper leg and supplies feeling of sensation to the upper leg. If it gets pinched or trapped under inguinal ligament this disease develops. Most of the times Meralgia paresthetica occurs as a result of the following conditions:

• Wearing tight clothing that create pressure on the groin 
• Pregnancy 
• Obesity 
• Wearing heavy tool belt 
• Increased abdominal pressure due to abdominal fluid accumulation
• Injury or surgery that develop scar tissue near inguinal ligament
• Diabetes

Diagnosis 
Usually, doctors diagnose Meralgia parestheticawith the help of physical examination medical history. The confirmatory tests of this disease include: 

• Imaging studies    
• Nerve conduction study
• Electromyography    
• Nerve Blockade  

Treatment
To treat Meralgia paresthetica, three types of processes are followed: 
Conservative measure: It recommends losing weight, wearing loose fitting clothing and taking common pain relievers. 
Medication: If conservative measure doesn’t improve the condition, injection, anti-depressant medicines and anti-seizure medicines are prescribed. 
Surgery: In rare situations surgery is suggested to decompress the pinched nerve.  
 

Brain Aneurysm

An aneurysm is a ballooning at a weak spot in an artery wall.  Aneurysms often occur in the aorta, brain, back of the knee, intestine or spleen. A ruptured aneurysm can result in internal bleeding and stroke. It can sometimes be fatal.

Aneurysms often have no symptoms until they rupture.

Treatment varies from watchful waiting to emergency surgery. The choice depends on the location, size and condition of the aneurysm.

Symptoms

Ruptured aneurysm

The tmain symptom of a ruptured aneurysm is sudden, severe headache. Common signs and symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm also include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Stiff neck
• Blurred or double vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Seizure
• A drooping eyelid
• Loss of consciousness
• Confusion

Leaking aneurysm

In some cases, an aneurysm may leak a slight amount of blood. This leaking (sentinel bleed) may cause  a sudden, extremely severe headache.

Unruptured aneurysm

An unruptured brain aneurysm may occur without any symptom, particularly if it's small. However, a larger unruptured aneurysm may press on brain tissues and nerves, causing the following symptoms:

• Pain above and behind one eye
• A dilated pupil
• Change in vision or double vision
• Numbness of one side of the face

Causes

The causes of brain aneurysm are unknown, but a spectrum of factors may increase the risk.

Risk factors

A number of factors can contribute to weakness in an artery wall and increase the risk of a brain aneurysm or aneurysm rupture. Brain aneurysms are more common in adults than in children and more common in women than in men.

Risk factors that develop over time

• Cigarette smoking
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Drug abuse, particularly the use of cocaine
• Heavy alcohol consumption

Some types of aneurysms may occur after a head injury or from certain blood infections (mycotic aneurysm).

Risk factors present at birth

Certain conditions that date to birth can be associated with an increased risk of developing a brain aneurysm. These include:

• Inherited connective tissue disorders
• Polycystic kidney disease, an inherited disorder
• Abnormally narrow aorta 
• Cerebral arterio-venous malformation 
• Family history of brain aneurysm

Complications

When a brain aneurysm ruptures, the bleeding usually lasts only a few seconds. The blood can cause direct damage to surrounding cells, and the bleeding can damage or kill other cells. If the pressure becomes too elevated, the blood and oxygen supply to the brain may be disrupted to the point that loss of consciousness or even death may occur.

Complications that can develop after the rupture of an aneurysm include:

• Re-bleeding
• Vasospasm -   blood vessels in the brain may narrow erratically (vasospasm).
• Hydrocephalus - blood can block circulation of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid).
• Hyponatremia - Subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured brain aneurysm can disrupt the balance of sodium in the blood. This may occur from damage to the hypothalamus, an area near the base of the brain.

A drop in blood-sodium levels (hyponatremia) can lead to swelling of brain cells and permanent damage.

Diagnosis

The tests for detection include the following:

• CT Scan
• MRI
• Cerebrospinal fluid test
• Cerebral Angiogram

Treatment

There are two common treatment options for a ruptured brain aneurysm.

• Surgical clipping
• Endovascular coiling 

A newer treatment option available for brain aneurysm is Flow diverters. Flow diverters may be particularly useful in larger aneurysms that can't be safely treated with other options.

Other Treatment options aimed at relieving symptoms and managing complications include the following:

• Pain Relievers
• Calcium Channel Blockers
• Anti seizure medication
• Intervention to prevent stroke from insufficient blood flow
• Lumber draining catheters and shunt surgery

Prevention

In order to lower the risk of its rupture the following steps can be taken:

• Discarding smoking and use  of recreational drugs. 
•  Healthy  fat free diet and exercise. 

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disease in which one’s body's immune system attacks its own nerves. Usually the first symptoms are extreme weakness and tingling sensation. These symptoms can quickly spread and paralyze the whole body. Guillain-Barre syndrome, In its most severe form, is a medical emergency. Most people with the condition needs hospitalization.
 

Symptoms

• Prickling  sensations in fingers, toes, ankles or wrists
• Weakness in legs that spreads upwards
• Inability to walk or climb stairs and unstable walking
• Difficulty with facial movements, including speaking, chewing or swallowing
• Double vision or inability to move eyes
• Severe pain and cramp like feeling that becomes worse at night
• Problem of bladder control or bowel function
• Rapid heart rate
• Low or high blood pressure
• Breathing difficulty
   

Types
 Guillain-Barre syndrome is now known to occur in several forms. The main types are:

• Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP). The most common sign is muscle weakness in the lower part of the body and spreads upward.
• Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS). Paralysis starts in the eyes.
• Acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) and acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN).
   

Causes
The exact cause of Guillain-Barre syndrome isn't known. The disorder usually appears days or weeks after a respiratory or digestive tract infection. A surgery or vaccination can trigger Guillain-Barre syndrome. Recently, there have been cases reported following infection with the Zika virus and COVID-19 virus. 
 

Diagnosis
Guillain-Barre syndrome is difficult to detect in its early stages. Its symptoms are similar to those of other neurological disorders and may vary from person to person. The following tests may be ordered by the doctor -

• Spinal tap (lumbar puncture
• Electromyography
• Nerve conduction studies  
   

Treatment
Guillain-Barre syndrome has no total cure. Apart from medications, two types of treatments can expedite recovery and reduce the severity of the illness:

• Plasma exchange (plasmapheresis) -  Plasmapheresis may work by removing the plasma of certain antibodies that contribute to the immune system's attack on the peripheral nerves.
• Immunoglobulin therapy - High doses of immunoglobulin can block the damaging antibodies that may contribute to Guillain-Barre syndrome.