Nervous System - Tourette Syndrome

Disease/Disorder: Tourette Syndrome

Common Name: Tourette Syndrome (TS)

Age of Onset: Early symptoms are usually noticed in childhood between the ages of 7 to 10 years.

Duration: TS is a chronic condition with lifelong symptoms, yet for most people the symptoms are worst in their early teens and improve slightly in their later teens and adulthood.

Males/Females/Equal: TS affects males 3 to 4 times more often than females.

Cause: The exact cause of TS is unknown, yet current research has discovered abnormalities in certain brain regions such as the basal ganglia, frontal lobes, and cortex. Also there are abnormalities in the circuits that interconnect these regions and the neurotransmitters responsible for communication between nerve cells (dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine).

Symptoms: Tics are repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations. They can be simple or complex. Simple tics involve a limited number of muscle groups, while complex tics involve several muscle groups. Simple motor tics are sudden, brief, repetitive movements such as eye blinking, facial grimacing, shoulder shrugging, and head jerking. Simple vocalizations include repetitive throat clearing, sniffing, and grunting. Complex motor tics are distinct, coordinated patterns of movements such as facial grimacing combined with head/shoulder jerking, hoping, jumping, bending, twisting, and inflicting self harm. Complex vocalizations include coprolalia (uttering swear words) and echolalia (repeating the words/phrases of others).

Prognosis (progression of disease): TS is a lifelong condition, yet the severity of tics tends to decrease in the later teen years and early adulthood. TS is not a degenerative disease, so people are expected to have a normal life expectancy.

Treatment Options: No medication completely eliminates the symptoms of TS. Neuroleptics are usually the most useful for tic suppression. Side effects though include sedation, weight gain, and cognitive dulling. Medications such as methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine can be used to lessen the ADHD symptoms seen in people with TS without enhancing the severity of tics. Psychotherapy may also be helpful for people with TS to better cope with their condition.

Source: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tourette/detail_tourette.htm

Muscular System - Polymyositis

Disease/Disorder: Polymyositis

Common Name: Polymyositis

Age of Onset: Tends to develop between the ages of 50 and 70 years, yet it can possibly occur at any age.

Duration: When treament is provided most people recover from this disease. Yet it is possible to die from complications.

Males/Females/Equal: Polymyositis is more common in women than men though it can affect either sex.

Cause: The exact cause of polymyositis is unknown, yet is is believed to be an autimmune disorder triggered by a viral infection of muscle tissue. People at a greater risk for polymyositis include those who already have a connective tissue disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or scleroderma. Or have family members who already have a connective tissue disease, so there could be a genetic susceptibilty.

Symptoms: Polymyositis triggers inflammation and muscle weakness. The shoulders and hips are usually affected first with muscle pain. There is also fatigue, breathlessness, swallowing dificulties, tremors (particularly in the hands), wide-footed stance and walking style, clumsiness, and the tendency to fall over.

Prognosis (progression of disease): Polymyositis develops gradually over weeks and months and by the time a person experiences the symptoms, he/she have already lost about half of his/her muscle fibers to the disease. At first, there is significant muscle weakness, such as where the arms are not even able to lift above shoulder height. Then the muscles of the larynx are affected and the person's voice will change. This is followed by swallowing and peristalsis (muscular contractions of the bowels) difficulties. Later, the disease may cause abnormal shortening of the muscles.

Treatment Options: Corticosteriods can be used to reduce the activity of the immune system and reduce inflammation. Plasmapheresis is a procedure in which the antibodies responsible for attacking muscle tissue are removed from the bloodstream. Also, immunosuppressive drugs or immunoglobulin can be administered. Finally, there is always physical therapy which helps strengthen muscles.

Source: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Polymyositis

Skeletal System - Rickets

Disease/Disorder: Osteomalacia in children

Common Name: Rickets

Age of Onset: 6 to 24 months old and is uncommon in newborns.

Duration: If the disorder is not corrected while the child is still growing, then the skeletal deformaties will be permanent.

Commoness: It occurs equally in both genders, yet people with dark skin are at an increased risk. Overall it is rare in the United States.

Cause: Vitamin D is vital in controling calcium and phosphate levels in the body. If the body is deficient in vitamin D then the body tends to produce other hormones to stimulate the release of calcium and phosphate from the bones, which leads to the weakening and softening of bones. Lack of vitamin D production occurs in people who do not recieve enough exposure to sunlight.

Symptoms: These include bone pain or tenderness, skeletal deformaties (bowed legs, forward projection of the breastbone, bumps in the rib cage, oddly-shaped skull), increased tendency for bone fractures, dental deformaties, muscle cramps, impaired growth, and short stature.

Prognosis: The symptoms are slow in onset. In the beginning there is restlessness and irratibilty. Also, the child has issues with unnatural appetite, enlarged abdomen, and then loss of weight. Later, the child becomes easily tired and innactive with the softening of the bones and the developing of skeletal deformaties.

Treatment: The replacement of calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D will eliminate most symptoms of rickets when the child is growing. Bracing may also be used to reduce or prevent deformaties. Later on in life, skeletal deformaties may require corrective surgery.

Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000344.htm

Integumentary System - Vitiligo

Disease/Disorder: Vitiligo

Common Name: Vitiligo

Age of Onset: Half of the people diagnosed with vitiligo develop the disease before age 20. Almost all of the remaining half develop it before age 40.

Duration: Vitiligo is a lifetime disease though there are several treatment options available for improving the appearance of the infected areas.

Males/Females/Equal: Vitiligo affects both sexes and all races equally.

Cause: The exact cause of vitiligo is unknown though researchers have developed several theories. The first theory and most widely accepted view is that vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that causes depigmentation because the body produces proteins called cytokines that alter the pigment-producing cells and cause these cells to die. The second theory is that melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, destroy themselves. It is also possible that vitiligo is hereditary for 30% of people with vitiligo have a family member that also shares the disease.

Symptoms: Vitiligo produces white patches (depigmentation) on the skin. The most common areas for depigmentation are sun-exposed areas of the body including the hands, feet, arms, face, and lips. Though it is possible that vitiligo can also appear around the armpits, groin, mouth, eyes, nostrils, navel, genitals, and rectal areas. Vitiligo may also bring about premature graying of the scalp hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, and beard.

Prognosis (progression of disease): There are three patterns that determine the progression of vitiligo. The focal pattern has depigmentation limited to only one or a few areas of the body. The segmental pattern has depigmentation develop on one side of the body. Focal and segmental pattern vitiligo remain localized to their one part of the body and do not spread. The generalized pattern is the most common pattern of vitiligo and does spread as it has depigmentation develop symmetrically on both sides of the body. The speed to which vitiligo spreads depends on the person. In some the progression of depigmentation can occur slowly over many years and in others the progression is fairly rapid.

Treatment Options: The objective in treating vitiligo is to improve the appearance of the developed white patches through medical, surgical, and/or adjunctive therapies. Therapy is a lengthy process that must be continued for 6 to 18 months. Furthermore the choice of therapy depends greatly on several individual factors including the number of white patches, their location, sizes, and how widespread they are. As surgical options, one can apply skin grafts, micropigmentation (tattooing), or autologous melanocyte transplants.

Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/vitiligo/article.htm