neurology

Can Neck Hyperextension During Dental Treatment Lead to Stroke Like Symptoms?

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An interesting article titled “Major Neurological Deficit Following Neck Hyperextension During Dental Treatment: Report of 2 Cases and Review of the Literature,” written by Victor G. El-Hajj and et. al. appears in the 2022 edition of the The Neurologist. The authors discuss two cases where patients had dental treatment performed and then suffered from neurological impairment due to hyperextension of the neck. Both patients had routine dental treatment done and had their necks overstretched which lead to a hopsital stay. The first patient discussed was a 67 year old man who saw his dentist for bridgework. He had been taking a medication for high blood pressure for nine years but had no history of cerebrovascular events. The man’s dental work took around 45 minutes and he was given local anestheisia. His neck had to be extended during the procedure to … Read more

Terror Attack Survivors More Prone to Headaches

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Researchers have shown that survivors of a terror attack have an increased risk of frequent migraine and tension headaches developing after the attack. Therefore there are potential physical effects of violent incidents in addition to the better known psychological effects. The researchers studied the responses teenage survivors of the largest mass killing in Norway that occurred in 2011. In the attack, a lone gunman opened fire at a youth summer camp on Utøya Island, killing 69 people and severely wounding 33. All survivors experienced terror, some lost friends, and some risked drowning as they tried to escape the island. The study shows that a single highly stressful event such as a terror attack may lead to ongoing suffering with frequent migraines and other headaches. All 358 teenage survivors of the incident were invited to participate in the study. A total of 213 … Read more

Rheumatologic Diseases Can Initially Present Like Neurological Disorders

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Research appearing in the Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports have shown that lupus and other rheumatologic disorders can initially present as neurological disorders such as headaches and seizures which can lead to a few months of a delay in proper diagnosis. Rheumatologic diseases include autoimmune and inflammatory disorders of the joints and soft tissues, such as systemic vasculitis, lupus, and ankylosing spondylosis. More than half of lupus patients have headaches and a third have migraines. Around 1.5% of lupus patients have a headache that is persistent, severe, and intractable and does not respond to narcotic medications. Up to 20% of lupus patients have seizures and 1/3 of lupus patients have cognitive dysfunction. Up to 20% of lupus patients experience mood disorders such as psychosis. Patients who have systemic vasculitis can have headaches, stroke like syndromes, seizures, and optic neuropathies. Around 1/3 of … Read more