Hypothalamic syndrome is a rather complex complex disease that has several forms and many classifications. Diagnosing this syndrome is difficult, but today a similar question is increasingly arising among parents of boys of draft age. Hypothalamic syndrome - are they admitted to the army with this diagnosis? Its symptoms, prevalence, and treatment are the subject of this article.
Hypothalamus: general information
This part of the hypothalamic-pituitary system of the brain, located below the thalamus and almost at the base of the human brain stem, belongs to the intermediate section. This small area is connected through nerve fibers to the cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, tonsil, spinal cord. In this zone, there are more than 30 nuclei of the gray matter of the brain that regulate many functions and connect our nervous system with the endocrine system, being the basis of the double regulation of our body. What is this system specifically responsible for?
- The synthesis and isolation of neurohormones - regulators of the pituitary gland, which in turn is the main regulator of the activity of internal secretion organs.
- The metabolic processes of the body.
- Monitoring the basic functions of the body - body temperature, regulation of sleep and wakefulness.
- Control and formation of feelings of hunger, thirst, sex drive, fatigue.
It is to this small area that we owe our sexual orientation and attraction, the formation of basic emotions and cyclicality in the work of all organs and systems.
If the functions of the hypothalamus are violated
Failures in the functioning of this area lead to disruptions in the endocrine system, disorders of the autonomic nervous system, and metabolic disorders leading to various trophic pathologies. Often a person cannot clearly articulate his feelings in the initial stages.
Patients complain of overweight and insatiable hunger, frequent bouts of headaches and increased fatigue. Clinical signs and symptoms of the hypothalamic syndrome are diverse and polymorphic, often manifested by the presence of persistent or coming disorders associated with a variety of pathologies.
Classification of disorders of the hypothalamus
At first glance, this question may seem confusing. Hypothalamic syndrome (ICD-10 - 23.3) has been fairly well studied by endocrinologists.
The first type of classification of pathology is associated with its causes. The etiology of such a disease will be paid attention a little later.
According to the clinical picture of the disease, the hypothalamic syndrome is classified based on the prevailing symptom, namely obesity, a specific metabolic pathology, hypercorticism or neurocircular disorders.
In the course of the disease, it can be progressive, stable, regressive, or recurrent. According to the age criterion, the hypothalamic syndrome of puberty is isolated into a separate form . But according to the form of the disease, the classification is more complicated.
Forms of hypothalamic syndrome
Symptoms and associated pathologies depend on the form of the disease. We list all the forms, and then give a more complete description of the most common.
- The most common is a vegetative-vascular form, characterized by a course in the form of crises.
- Violations of thermoregulation both in the form of an increase in body temperature, and in its decrease, in the form of constant chills.
- Diencephalic epilepsy. This form is characterized by the presence of tremors, heart palpitations and fear for no reason, convulsions, epileptic seizures.
- Neurotrophic hypothalamic syndrome manifests itself in various disorders of trophic metabolism - obesity or weight loss, edema, pain.
- The neuromuscular form manifests itself as physical asthenia.
- Sleep and wake disturbance.
In the first place in the frequency of occurrence is the vegetative-vascular form (up to 35%), followed by the exchange-endocrine (disease in 27% of cases). In third place with the frequency of occurrence is neuromuscular syndrome.
Vegetative-vascular pathology
For this form, children and adults are characterized by the presence of specific symptoms (crises), which develops from a few minutes to several hours. The following crises are possible:
- Sympathoadrenaline - characterized by the appearance of a severe headache, discomfort in the heart and its rapid rhythm, the appearance of a sense of fear. The patient cannot inhale, numbness of the extremities is observed, the integument turns pale, the pupils dilate. The crisis ends with chills, may be accompanied by urination.
- Vaginsular - begins with weakness and dizziness. There is a feeling of fading in the region of the heart, its rhythm is reduced. The skin turns red, sweating increases, body temperature decreases. The crisis ends with stool disorders.
Vegeto-vascular type of pathology may be characterized by a mixture of these two crises.
Neuroendocrine metabolic hypothalamic syndrome
What is an adult or a child? This is an excessive or insufficient secretion of hormones by the pituitary gland. And this leads to endocrine diseases of various forms:
- Diabetes insipidus.
- Exophthalmos - protrusion of the eyeball, becoming malignant and bilateral in nature. It is accompanied by atrophy of the optic disc, keratitis and so on.
- Adiposogenital pathologies (Pehkranets-Babinsky-Fröhlich syndrome) - dystrophy in the development of the sex glands, a decrease in their function. It develops along with alimentary obesity, amenorrhea, bulimia, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.
- Frontal hyperostosis - more often develops in women of the menopause. It manifests itself in excessive enlargement of the frontal bone, obesity.
- Juvenile basophilism - in girls and boys in the puberty, it is accompanied by obesity, high blood pressure, dry skin.
- Pituitary cachexia (exhaustion) - characterized by weight loss and appetite (anorexia).
- Early puberty is more common in girls. Previously the formation of secondary sexual characteristics, high growth, insomnia.
- Puberty Delay is a hypothalamic syndrome of puberty, which is more common in male adolescents. Disorders of fat metabolism lead to obesity of the female type. There is hypogenitalism.
- Gigantism - the excess of growth hormone in adolescence with open areas of bone growth leads to high growth, reduced stamina.
- Acromegaly - in this case, increased somatotropic hormone with closed growth zones leads to thickening of the bones of the hand, feet and skull. More often accompanied by the development of dementia, lethargy and decreased sexual desire.
- Dwarfism - impaired secretion of growth hormone leads to low growth, hydrocephalus, mental retardation.
- Itsenko-Cushing's syndrome - the excess of adenocorticotropic hormone leads to increased blood pressure, osteoporosis and uneven distribution of fat (moon-shaped face).
- Lawrence-Moon-Barde-Beadle disease is a hereditary pathology of the hypothalamus, which is characterized by mental retardation, polydactyly and obesity.
Neurotrophic pathologies
In this case, there are such violations associated with the work of the hypothalamus, such as:
- Edema of different parts of the body.
- Ulcers on the skin with different localization.
- Osteoporosis.
- Fragility of nails.
- Partial alopecia.
Neuromuscular syndrome
This form of pathology is accompanied by muscle weakness, which translates into bouts of catalepsy - a short-term loss of muscle tone with the full consciousness of the patient. Catalepsy is the result of neurolepsy or hypersomnia - sleep disorders that occur either in constant drowsiness or in sleep at the wrong time. Such a syndrome with damage to the hypothalamus is accompanied by severe attacks of severe drowsiness, which occur during the day and lasts several minutes.
Features of hypothalamic puberty syndrome
The disease begins more often at the age of 12-15 years. First of all, children complain of frequent headache, fatigue, an uncontrolled feeling of hunger and obesity. A characteristic feature is that adolescents overtake their peers in growth. Signs of concern may be marble skin, cold to the touch, hyperkeratosis (increased coarsening of the skin on the elbows and knees), overweight. Patients complain of changes in blood pressure, hypertensive crises, irritability, tearfulness, depressive mood.
In girls, menstrual irregularities, early puberty are observed. In boys - gynecomastia, scanty hair growth on the face despite the fact that in the armpits and pubis it corresponds to age.
Causes of pathology
And today, among the reasons for the development of such a disease, white gaps remain. Among the possible factors that lead to lesions of the hypothalamus, the following can be distinguished:
- Various kinds of tumors (including malignant) of different parts of the brain.
- Neurointoxication as a result of exposure to various kinds of toxins (alcohol, drugs in the first place).
- Injuries associated with brain damage affecting the hypothalamus in one way or another.
- Strokes and osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, which lead to vascular disorders in the supply of the brain.
- Chronic diseases (hypertension, bronchial asthma, ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract).
- Stress, strain and shock.
- Hormonal changes during pregnancy and puberty.
- Infections (flu, tonsillitis, rheumatism, malaria).
An important role in the development of symptoms of the disease belongs to the increased permeability of blood vessels in the hypothalamus, which leads to an increased risk of penetration of toxins and viral agents into this area.
Pathology prevalence
In their practice, hypothalamic syndrome is encountered not only by neurologists, but also by therapists, endocrinologists, surgeons, ophthalmologists, and even gynecologists. The disease can begin to manifest itself at the age of 13-15 years or at 30-40 years.
More often women suffer from the syndrome, but recent data on conscripts show a rather high prevalence of the disease in men. In the form of the disease, in the first place, as already mentioned, is the vegetative-vascular manifestations of disorders in the hypothalamus.
How to define it?
People far from medicine, in the absence of traumatic and obvious facts of damage to the hypothalamus, cannot even suggest the presence of such a pathology. Diagnosis of the hypothalamic syndrome is based primarily on laboratory tests.
A complete blood test for biochemistry will show the level of hormones (gonadotropic, somatotropic, follicle-stimulating and many others), which gives an idea of the work of the autonomic nervous system. In addition, MRI methods (determine the state of the brain and damage to the thalamus), ultrasound (determine the pathology that provoked the symptoms), EEG (determine the activity of different parts of the brain). An X-ray of the brain will help determine intracranial pressure.
On the basis of personal history and laboratory data, a diagnosis is made and treatment of the hypothalamic syndrome is prescribed in accordance with its established form.
Correction of consequences
There is no universal treatment in this case. The main strategy is the reorganization of foci of infection and pathology, a healthy lifestyle and diet. The neurologist, after evaluating all the tests, prescribes treatment and consultations with specialists of a narrow profile to correct particular manifestations of such a disease. With hypothalamic syndrome, a diet for patients of any age includes:
- Limiting the amount of carbohydrates in the diet.
- Almost complete exclusion of animal fats.
- A slight and gradual decrease in the calorie content of food.
- Inadmissibility of starvation, rejection of diets.
- Eating at least 5 times a day.
- Use of glucose substitutes (sorbitol, xylitol, fructose).
Along with the diet, the doctor may offer drug therapy, which depends on the form of the disease and its course, symptoms and clinical presentation. The research results showed the high effectiveness of non-drug therapy: acupuncture, massage, physiotherapy and physiotherapy, spa treatment. Do not forget about the need to lead a healthy lifestyle, moderate exercise, avoiding stressful situations and nervous strain.
But what about the debt to the fatherland?
The hypothalamic syndrome in the diagnosis of a young man is not a reason for the refusal of the military registration and enlistment office in respect of military duty. Here are some of the consequences and symptoms of such a pathology can become such grounds.
For example, obesity of the 3rd degree, hypertension of the 2nd or 3rd degree or intracranial hypertension will become a release from military duty. In any case, the commission of the military registration and enlistment office will draw its conclusions based on the documents provided by the conscript.
The patient will live
The prognosis of the development of the disease and the effectiveness of its treatment depends on the form and those disorders that occurred in the body against the background of the pathology of the hypothalamus. Most often, with a responsible attitude of the patient, his condition normalizes. The disability group can be determined based on the pathology affected by the disease.
Puberty diseases with proper treatment have a high percentage of cure by 25 years. But in some cases, the disease accompanies the patient all his life.