Question

Neurological disorders are often acute or chronic conditions. Identify two acute neurological disorders and two chronic neurological disorders and discussion the difference. Make certain to discuss the role of trauma and blood occlusion in your response.

Answer 1

Neurological disorders:

The medical conditions that affects the brain and nervous system are called Neurological disorders. Neurological disorders may be Acute or chronic. Acute means sudden onset and chronic means slowly evolved or having prolonged course.

2 Acute Neurological conditions:

a.Stroke

b.Acute spinal cord injury

2 Chronic Neurological disorders:

a.Alzheimer's disease

b.Parkinson's disease

Differences:

Stoke and Acute spinal cord injury are the 2 examples for Acute Neurological disorders.

Stroke : The loss of brain function arising when the blood supply to the brain is suddenly interrupted. It may be an Ischemic stroke or a Hemorrhagic shock . Sometimes it may be a temporary disruption of blood flow to a part of  brain , called Transient Ischemic Attack ( TIA). The effects may be for a short time.

Acute spinal cord injury: may occur due to an accident or any other situation. In this spinal cord get damaged, partially or completely or it may be a contusion.( Contusion is a wound , such as a bruise, in which the skin is not broken , it often having broken blood vessels and discoloration.). Acute Spinal cord injury may cause disability or death .

Chronic Neurological disorders:

Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are the examples of 2 Chronic Neurological conditions. Both are degenerative disorders of brain having a long course.

Alzheimer's is specific medical disorder involving loss of mental functions like memory, thinking, judgement and personality resulting from brain tissue changes due to death of neurons. The main symptom are forgetfulness , memory loss and confusion. Whereas Parkinson's disease is a chronic Neurological disorder resulting in lack of control over movement, temors and also poor balance and coordination . It is occuring due to the drop of levels in Dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain, as a result of damage to the nerve cell that secrete dopamine.

In all these four cases trauma is a risk factor. Accident trauma is a main causative factor for Acute spinal cord injury and Hemorrhagic stroke and it can indirectly influence the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Haemorrhage in the brain or spinal cord leads to the formation of thrombus in the area of leakage and inflammation. This inturn leads to the blood occlusion or obstruction of blood flow. Area surrounded to the injury may not get adequate blood supply due to the obstruction in th blood vessels or due to edema ( as a result of inflammation), leads to death of nerve cells and tissues. This may result in various symptoms of stroke , spinal cord injury. Also this obstruction in blood flow may increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.