Glossary - S

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a disease involving major psychiatric psychotic (out of touch with reality) disorder with prodromal, active and residual symptoms involving delusions, hallucinations, disturbed affect (emotion) and impaired thought processes, lasting at least six months. schizophrenia affects the nervous system. A genetic predisposition is necessary for the development of schizophrenia. The incidence in the United States is 1% in a lifetime. In the United States schizophrenia has the highest prevalence in the lower socioeconomic classes. The condition usually onset before the age of 45 and male and female are equally susceptible. Signs and symptoms of the disease include withdrawal from reality, paranoid delusions, reference, others can hear your thoughts, put thoughts into you or control you, grandiose or religious delusions, hallucinations (usually auditory), affect, loose associations in thought processes, much speech that conveys little information and extremes of gross overactivity to stupor with mutism. Causes of schizophrenia are unknown; it is not initiated or maintained by an organic factor. It is probably a complex interaction between inherited and environmental factors. Those with a biological relative with schizophrenia are at the highest risk of obtaining the condition.

Stroke rehabilitation

Stroke rehabilitation involves restoration of function after medical and neurologic stability have been achieved. A stroke is described as cerebrovascular diseases and/or disorders that affect central nervous system function by compromising the delivery of blood or by hemorrhage resulting in ischemia, necrosis, and gliosis;anterior lesions in the cerebrovascular system affect the arteries that supply the cerebral hemispheres and cause thrombotic strokes; Posterior lesions affect arteries that supply the brain stem and yield crossed motor and/or sensory signs and symptoms. Both anterior and posterior lesions can cause sudden death, but the lower in the central nervous system the lesion, or the more incomplete the lesion, or the more hemorrhagic the lesion, the higher the chance for neurologic return. Strokes affect the nervous and the cardiovascular systems. The genetics are similar to the probability of developing hypertension or coronary artery disease. The incidence in the United States is 459/100,000. The predominant age is over 45 and males are more likely than females to get a stroke. Signs and symptoms are variable depending upon the arterial system affected and consist of hemiparesis, hemianesthesia, unilateral central facial palsy, homonomous hemianopsia, aphasia and apraxia. The causes of a stroke are coronary artery disease, hypertension, cerebral atherosclerosis, cardiac thrombus embolus foreign body embolus and frequently, the combination of gout, diabetes, hypertension has been untreated for some 5-10 years before the onset of the stroke disorder. Risk factors include coffee ingestion, cigarette smoking obesity, inactivity, hyperactivity to the point of exhaustion, emotional lability, sexual hyperactivity, starvation, antidepressant or diet reduction medication, alcohol or recreational drug habituation and unusual stress states.

Systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-system autoimmune inflammatory condition characterized by a fluctuating, chronic course. SLE varies from mild to severe and may be lethal in some forms (CNS and renal forms). SLE affects the Hemic/Lymphatic/Immunologic system, the Nervous system, Endocrine/Metabolic system, the Skin/Exocrine system, the gastrointestinal system and the Musculoskeletal system. The genetic markers are HLA-B8, HLA-DR2 and HLA-DR3. The incidence in the United States is 20/100,000. The disease is most common in people ages 30-50. The disease is found predominantly in females by a ratio of 10:1. Signs and symptoms of the disease include: arthritis, fever, anorexia, malaise, weight loss, skin lesions, oral ulcers, eye pain and or redness, chest pain and or shortness of breath, pallor, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tenderness aching and stiff muscles, head aches and visual problems and psychosis/delirium. Causes of SLE are idiopathic and drugs. Risk factors are race (blacks, hispanics, asians and native americans have a higher prevalence than whites), genetic markers (HLA-B8, HLA-DR2, HLA-DR3) and hereditary complement deficiency (especially C2 and C3).

 

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