Neurologists
Neurologists are who specialize in conditions that affect the nervous system.
Who needs a neurologist consultation?
- Frequent or severe headache
- Dizziness
- Muscle weakness
- Sensory changes that affect the sense of touch, vision, smell or taste
- Partial or complete paralysis
What conditions do neurologists treat?
- Epilepsy
- Headaches and migraine
- Stroke
- Sleep disorders
- Brain tumor
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Brain aneurysms
- Multiple sclerosis an inflammatoy neurological diseases.
- Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease
- Muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis.
- Infection of the nervous system such as encephalitis, meningitis.
Tests and procedures:
- Laboratory tests such as blood and urine analyses
- USG, MRI, PET-CT, CT-SCAN
- Biopsy
- Angiography
- Lumbar puncture :- It is a procedure in which doctor use a lumbar puncture to collect a sample of spinal fluid. this procedure may help in diagnosis of :-
- Meningitis
- Encephalitis
- Lukemia
- Dementia
- Bleeding in the brain.
- Electromyography :-It is a procedure in which doctor use Electromyography (EMG) to assess how well a person’s muscles respond to electrical stimulation from motor neurons, which are nerves that control muscle movement.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) :- To measure and record electrical activity in the brain.
- Tensilon test :- Myasthenia gravis is a rare neuromuscular disease that weakens the muscles in the arms and legs. A neurologist can use a Tensilon test to diagnose myasthenia gravis.
- Cranial nerve test
- Coordination and motor skills test
- Sensation test
- Cognitive ability test
What to know about brain stem strokes:
A stoke occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted, either due to a blocked artery or a leaking blood vessel.
The brain stem controls essntial body functions, such as :
- Swallowing
- Eye movement
- Breathing
- Heart rate
- Facial movement and sensation
- Blood pressure.
Types of strokes:
- Ischemic stroke – Ischemic stroke occur when blood clots form in the narrow arteries in the head or neck, cutting off the blood supply to an area of the brain.
- Hemorrhagic stroke – Hemorrhagic strokes, or brain bleeds occur when a weak blood vessle leaks or breaks open, creating swelling and pressure damages tissues and cells in the brain.