What is brain encephalopathy is of interest to many patients who are diagnosed with this. This is a very dangerous pathology, which is characterized by the fact that nerve fibers gradually die off due to a lack of oxygen. Often, it is formed against the background of existing diseases, and can be diagnosed in children and adults.
It is very important to conduct treatment in a timely manner to prevent the development of dangerous pathologies.
Features of the disease
Many patients who are diagnosed with this are interested in what brain encephalopathy is and how dangerous it is. It is important to recognize the pathology in a timely manner and conduct complex treatment. This is a syndrome in which dystrophic changes in brain structures occur. Inside this organ, the death of nerve cells begins under the influence of various factors.
Some forms of encephalopathy are quite successfully cured. If absolutely no measures are taken, then such a condition will be very dangerous for the patient’s life, since some varieties of this disease can have very serious consequences, up to a coma and death.
Encephalopathy develops equally in men and women. There are cases when a pathology is found in children during the gestation period. When the baby is born, then he immediately shows signs of the course of the disease. Over the years, problems can appear in adults. Most forms of this pathology can be diagnosed at the initial stage and successfully cured, preventing the occurrence of complications.
The main types of disease
To choose the right treatment, you need to know what brain encephalopathy is, how it manifests itself, and also what types and forms of this disease are. According to the classification, the disease can be:
- post-traumatic;
- toxic
- residual;
- vascular;
- toxic-metabolic;
- hypoxic;
- leukoencephalopathy.
Post-traumatic encephalopathy is a form of the disease in which symptoms occur shortly after the injury. Skull fractures can provoke the disease. In some cases, a similar problem may be accompanied by epileptic seizures.
Residual encephalopathy is a type of pathology that is very difficult to detect during the diagnosis. The thing is that the first signs of pathology can occur several years after exposure to provoking factors. Caused by a disease or organic damage to brain structures can cause a problem.
The toxic form of encephalopathy occurs in response to exposure to brain cells by aggressive substances. This can be triggered by carbon monoxide poisoning, alcohol, and chemicals.
Toxic-metabolic encephalopathy begins to develop under the influence of various kinds of intoxication and metabolic factors. Brain poisoning occurs against the background of exposure to toxic substances that cannot be removed from the body. This group includes such forms of encephalopathy as:
- uremic;
- hepatic;
- bilirubin;
- diabetic.
All these forms of pathology require a very thorough diagnosis in order to clarify the diagnosis and prescribe suitable groups of drugs.
Vascular encephalopathy occurs against the background of the course of chronic diseases of the heart and blood vessels. The disease can progress, depending on the effects of pathogenic factors. Necrotic areas that cannot be restored can form in the brain. It is very important to understand what brain encephalopathy is, so that you can correctly classify the disease and conduct treatment.
The hypoxic form of pathology is formed against the background of a prolonged lack of oxygen and other nutrients in the brain. The disease can be triggered by disorders in the circulatory system and pulmonary ventilation. Sometimes a similar pathology can be caused by chronic hypotension.
With leukoencephalopathy, the white medulla is mainly damaged. With extensive damage, doctors talk about the course of ischemia. It is important to accurately diagnose brain encephalopathy of this type, as well as know how it manifests itself, so that you can timely notice the problem and conduct complex treatment. There are 3 stages of the pathology, namely:
- at the first stage there are practically no symptoms, and a violation can be detected only during the examination;
- at the second stage, a person periodically shows signs of the disease, but it is impossible to immediately determine the causes of its occurrence;
- in the third stage, the symptoms are very pronounced, the course is severe and can lead to disability.
Depending on the degree of brain encephalopathy, therapy is selected individually, and the doctor prescribes treatment. In order to prevent exacerbation, it is important to periodically be examined by specialists and check your health.
Childhood encephalopathy
Many parents are interested in what brain encephalopathy is and how it is dangerous for the child. A child’s disease can occur in utero from about the 28th week of pregnancy. This pathology is also called ischemic. The causes of its occurrence may be hidden in pregnancy complications, prolonged labor, maternal pathologies and asphyxia of a newborn child.
Timely treatment of such a violation at home or in a special hospital allows you to prevent the occurrence of complications and get rid of the risk of speech impairment and mental development in the future.
Encephalopathy in a child can also occur during childbirth, and this occurs as a result of:
- long waterless period;
- asphyxia of the newborn;
- prolonged or rapid delivery;
- ingestion of intrauterine water by a child;
- early separation of the placenta.
In the first week of a newborn’s life, the baby’s body and brain are especially sensitive to external and internal factors. If the baby’s body is infected with an infection or virus these days, it can lead to encephalopathy. Its consequences can manifest itself throughout life.
Causes of occurrence
In order to timely eliminate the existing pathology, you need to know what it is - vascular encephalopathy of the brain and for what reasons it occurs. In the development of such a violation, congenital and acquired pathologies are distinguished.
In general, congenital factors affect the fetus even during the period of gestation. These include:
- injuries during delivery;
- oxygen starvation;
- premature birth;
- some infections;
- high fetal weight;
- genetic predisposition.
The severity of such symptoms and the time of occurrence in a child largely depend on the duration of exposure to etiological factors. Their effect over a long period of time during pregnancy manifests itself immediately, literally in the first days of a newborn’s life. The prognosis of brain encephalopathy in this case is rather disappointing. Often it progresses quite rapidly, often leading to disability or even death of the patient.
Short-term exposure to negative factors does not pose a significant threat. Symptoms in such children are not strongly expressed and are often detected quite by accident during a comprehensive examination.
The cause of encephalopathy in adults can be:
- alcohol abuse;
- previous head injuries;
- exposure to narcotic substances;
- drug overdose;
- exposure to endotoxins;
- severe diseases of the internal organs;
- prolonged fever due to infectious diseases;
- high dosages of radiation.
In a separate group of various acquired causes, vascular pathologies should be attributed. Often the vessels undergo pathological changes with severe hypertension and atherosclerosis.
The main symptoms
Doctors say that patients have no characteristic signs of brain encephalopathy, that is, it is impossible to make a correct diagnosis based on only patient complaints. The severity of symptoms depends largely on the duration of the disease and the activity of the pathological process. Among the main signs of a congenital pathology, it is necessary to distinguish such as:
- the nature of the cry of the newborn;
- decreased reflexes;
- violation of general health;
- constant regurgitation;
- worsening of well-being.
With a mild degree of encephalopathy, the child becomes overly excitable. This is manifested in the form of systemic sleep disturbances, constant crying, loss of appetite, increased or decreased muscle tone. In some children, the pupils may be slightly oblique.
Moderate severity is characterized by more severe symptoms. This manifests itself in the form of a permanent impairment of the functioning of the nervous system and motor activity. In addition, the baby's limbs are constantly tense. Outwardly, you can notice some marbling of the skin, squint, a large fontanel, which is constantly pulsating all the time. The baby sleeps very little, eats poorly or completely refuses food.
With a short effect of negative factors during pregnancy on the fetus, such symptoms very quickly fade away. Extensive damage can be accompanied by an even greater increase in clinical manifestations. In any case, the supervision of a specialist is required, both in a maternity hospital and on an outpatient basis, after discharge home.
Symptoms of brain encephalopathy in adults are diverse. One of the very first signs that a patient must pay attention to is memory impairment. The patient begins to confuse events, does not remember what happened to him before.
A sharp decrease in mental activity also occurs during this period. It becomes very difficult for the patient to carry out intellectual activity, and also much more time needs to be spent on restoring strength. Some passivity is observed. The progression of the pathology is accompanied by such signs as:
- hearing and vision loss;
- headache;
- sharp mood swings;
- depression;
- violation of reflex reactions;
- problems with speech.
An extensive pathological process that occurs in the tissues of the brain against the background of an acute disturbance in the circulatory system is manifested by dizziness, severe headache, and vomiting, which does not bring any relief. In addition, convulsions, mental disorders, paresis of limbs can be observed.
Which doctor to contact
Treatment of brain encephalopathy in adults and children should begin when the first signs of the disease occur, without waiting until stage 2 of the pathology occurs. That is why, in the presence of dangerous symptoms, you need to visit a neurologist. For the implementation of complex therapy requires consultation of doctors of narrow specialties, it all depends on the reasons that provoked the pathology.
Treatment of brain encephalopathy in adults is carried out:
- with atherosclerosis and high blood pressure - by cardiologists;
- in case of kidney disease - nephrologists, hepatologists;
- in violation of the endocrine system - by endocrinologists.
Depending on the causes of the disease and its origin, therapy will be prescribed, often including surgery. Symptoms and treatment of brain encephalopathy are interrelated. Therefore, timely consultation with a doctor is required.
Diagnostics
What is this vascular encephalopathy of the brain and how it manifests itself, how this pathology is treated, the attending doctor will be able to tell after the diagnosis. Various methods will help confirm the course of a dangerous disease, in particular, such as:
- checking the accuracy of movements;
- psychological tests;
- performance of tasks on memory and concentration of attention.
Often, at this stage, doctors can determine fairly characteristic signs that indirectly indicate the presence of pathology. To clarify the diagnosis, additional examination methods are prescribed, namely:
- pressure measurement;
- tomography;
- duplex study;
- encephalogram.
Tomography helps to visualize completely all brain structures. This technique makes it possible to obtain a complete picture of the vessels, which helps to detect neoplasms in the cranial cavity. MRI should also be performed if there is a suspicion of abnormal brain development.
Doppler ultrasound is a painless method for studying the vascular system that can detect the cause of a violation in the circulatory system. Specialists study the large vessels of the upper half of the body.
Encephalography is an affordable technique that allows you to study the state of the walls of blood vessels. This makes it possible to detect various pathologies that occur in the veins and arteries and affect the blood supply to the organs of the nervous system.
In the elderly, brain encephalopathy is formed against a background of endocrine or somatic pathology. In this case, the range of diagnostic measures may increase. The patient is prescribed hormonal background studies, and the required samples are taken to determine the presence of organ damage. Timely diagnosis of the disease allows you to adjust its course by taking medications or surgery, thereby reducing the risk of complications.
Treatment features
When the first symptoms of brain encephalopathy appear in adults, treatment should be started immediately. For each individual patient, a purely own treatment regimen is prescribed, depending on the severity of the pathology. Its main goal is to eliminate provoking factors. Severe and most acute seizures help eliminate techniques such as:
- hemodialysis;
- ventilation of the lungs;
- hemoperfusion.
Basically, brain encephalopathy is treated with drugs. What kind of funds should be used, the doctor determines based on the symptoms of the disease. For complex therapy are used:
- anti-inflammatory drugs;
- diuretics
- multivitamin complexes;
- anticonvulsant drugs.
To restore metabolic processes at the cellular level, nootropics and amino acids are required. It is worth noting that with brain encephalopathy, drug treatment can provoke the occurrence of side effects, so if you feel worse, you should immediately visit a doctor.
Accelerate recovery will help such techniques as:
- physiotherapy;
- manual therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- acupuncture.
Treatment of brain encephalopathy in the elderly can also be done with surgery. For this, endovascular methods are used, namely, intervention on the joints, which helps to eliminate vascular obstruction, in particular, angioplasty and stenting.
The most effective treatment for brain encephalopathy in the elderly, young people and even children is the restoration of damaged gray matter by stem cells. A similar technique can improve the functioning of injured neurons.
During therapy, certain restrictions must be adhered to, since only this will achieve a good result. Limitations include:
- rejection of bad habits;
- stress avoidance;
- refusal of salty and fatty foods.
It is worth remembering that the consequences of the course of the disease can be very serious, therefore, if the very first signs of a violation have arisen, you need to visit a neurologist who will direct you to conduct the study and prescribe therapy.
ethnoscience
In addition to drug therapy, alternative medicine is widely used to eliminate organic brain damage. Field clover flowers help a lot. Need 1.5 tbsp. l plants brew 300 ml of boiling water. Drink 3 times a day 30 minutes before consuming food. This tool helps to get rid of various extraneous sounds in the head.
To minimize the consequences of the course of the disease, you need to mix 1 tbsp. l fresh green onions with 2 tbsp. l natural honey. Take this remedy before every meal. To eliminate existing organic damage to the brain, rose hips are used. Need to pour 2 tbsp. l plant berries 0.5 l of boiling water and insist 2-3 hours.
Answering the question that this is encephalopathy of the brain in an adult or a child, we can definitely say that this is a real shock. However, when conducting the therapy prescribed by a neurologist and following all the recommendations, one can minimize the risk of complications and improve the quality of life.
Possible consequences
It is important to understand exactly what encephalopathy of the brain is and how dangerous this condition is in adults. With the rapid spread of the pathological process, the consequences of the course of the disease can be really critical for the patient. Among them are distinguished such as:
- somatic and endocrine pathologies;
- intoxication of the body;
- severe dystrophic disorders of neurons.
Brain encephalopathy in the elderly significantly increases the likelihood of death due to the exhaustion of the body's ability to recover. The most serious violations should include mental disorders, coma, blindness and deafness.
When making such a diagnosis, young people can rely on a positive prognosis only on the condition that a comprehensive, long-term therapy is carried out in a timely manner.
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Prophylaxis
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