Neuralgia: More a Symptom than a Disease

Neuralgia is a form of nervous disorder that is generally deemed a symptom rather than a disease. It is a succession of attacks of sharp pain in the area ordinarily provided by a cranial nerve situated in the neck or face. In neuralgia, unlike in neuritis (an inflammatory lesion of a nerve), there is no evident change that takes place in the structure of the nerve.

Three examples of true neuralgia, which are discussed here, are trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, and causalgia.

1. Trigeminal neuralgia (also called tic douloureux). The afferent nerve to the face is the trigeminal nerve. This nerve is composed of three branches: the first branch supplies the forehead's and the eyes' skin; the second branch supplies the skin of the face's side between the mouth and the eye; and the last branch supplies the skin of the side of the jaw and the lower lip. It is believed that any one of these three branches (or possibly all three) is involved in trigeminal neuralgia.

The onset of this neuralgia usually takes place at around age 50, although it may come into existence at any time during the adult life. It also occurs more frequently in women than in men. The pain in this neuralgia is like a thrust of a pointed object which occurs in bursts and usually continues for a brief moment. In its early phase, it may not recur for a few days. But as it progress, recurrence becomes more frequent. The pain can be so intense that it's a virtual torture for the one affected. Certain activities that involve the mouth and face usually set off the attack. These may include chewing of food, drinking, talking, exposure to heat or cold, or even the mere washing of the face.

Doctors are one in saying that it is quite difficult to treat trigeminal neuralgia satisfactorily. Any medication is often allowed to go through a good trial before resorting to more drastic steps. Some drugs, including those that are used for epilepsy, may alleviate the pain. However, such drugs may cause serious side effects, including dizziness, skin rash, and ataxia (the inability to coordinate voluntary muscular movements). These drugs, therefore, must be used under the strict supervision of a doctor. Narcotic pain-killing drugs are not recommended and must, therefore, be shunned since, apart from providing very little or no relief at all, they are known to cause serious addiction.

2. Glossopharyngeal neuralgia. The attacks or occurrence of pain in this type of neuralgia usually involve the back of the tongue, a tonsil, and one side of the throat, as well as the middle ear on the same side. Unlike trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia affects men more commonly than women. Simple mouth activities, such as talking, masticating, or swallowing often cause the attack of pain. Although the pain may last for only a few minutes, it can be so intense that the person affected may lose consciousness.

Drugs are often ineffective in treating this neuralgia. A surgical procedure that involves the cutting of the involved nerve is probably the most effective treatment method.

3. Causalgia. This type of neuralgia is noted for its agonizing pain. Damage to a nerve (often the middle nerve in the arm or the nerve near the hip) usually precedes this symptom. The intense pain can be made more serious by certain stimuli, such as the sudden blast of loud sounds or mere exposure to the air.

Injury to the sympathetic nerve fibers contained in the damaged nerve is thought of as being responsible for this symptom. Cutting these sympathetic nerve fibers (through a surgical procedure) can give relief. The person suffering from this symptom should consult a neurologist. [Read the Original Article]