I do not want to live with pain

Those suffering from this disease can sometimes under the influence of pain self-harm, even kill himself. The saddest thing - the disease often mistaken for ordinary toothache. And all because of trigeminal neuralgia (trigeminal neuralgia - HS) covers the lower part of the face and jaw.

In Russia, the official from the disease affects about 30 thousand people, unofficially - is much greater. Unfortunately, doctors do not always give the correct diagnosis. Monstrous in terms of suffering twinges of accidents suddenly attacked, they can last for seconds, minutes and sometimes hours.

"The pain is just unbearable - says neurologist Anish Bar of the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. - My patients say that they seemed to be cut to pieces saw. In a fit of agony they tremble in convulsions. And after the acute phase is a dull ache that can persist hours or even days. "

Nine out of ten cases trigeminal neuralgia   pressure caused by blood vessels on the trigeminal nerve. But the immediate cause of the next attack could be anything - a draft, the food, drinks, shaving and even brushing teeth. "There were cases when the pain turn gave rise to the head or a light touch to the face - says Dr. Bar. - This disease affects patients of all ages, but most of its victims are people over 50".

Special tests designed to diagnose   trigeminal neuralgia , does not exist. However, the disease can be detected using MRI and angiogram (radiograph obtained after angiography). In more than two-thirds of effective medicines against trigeminal neuralgia   are anticonvulsants (medications anticonvulsant action) that block the transmission of nerve signals. In the remaining third of the cases the patient can save rhizotomy surgery - transection of the cranial nerve roots. Effective treatment is also microvascular decompression, during which there is a division of the nerve roots and blood vessels.

Treatment and prevention

Go back to the main page