Neurological Pathologies

Question 1

Headaches

Answer 1

Common triggers:
- cigarette smoking
- stress
- sleep deprivation
- changes in BP
- meds
- certain foods

Question 2

Headaches S&S

Answer 2

• rapid onset
• throbbing pain in frontal & temporal lobes
• migraine (aura = blurry vision, flashes of light, impaired speech)
• nausea and vomiting
• dizziness
• photosensitivity
• memory loss

Question 3

Headaches S&S for referral

Answer 3

• new/unusual headache
• sudden onset of sever headache
• change in pattern or area of pain
• chronic headaches w/ localized pain
• headaches that interrupt sleep
• visual disturbances
• numbness, weakness, paralysis of face
• headache with stiff neck
• headache with fever or weight loss

Question 4

Headache Treatment

Answer 4

• Avoid triggers
• NSAIDs
• prescription meds for pain control
• rest in quiet dark room
• small amounts of caffeine
• cold or hot compression
• temporal massage

Question 5

Encephalitis

Answer 5

inflammation of brain
- primary: virus directly invades the brain and spinal cord
- secondary: viral infection of another part of the body that then enters the brain

Question 6

Encephalitis S&S

Answer 6

• rapid onset
• headache
• fever
• vomiting
• photophobia
• stiff neck and back
• confusion
• disorientation
• fatigue
• irritability
• possible seizures

Question 7

Encephalitis Treatment

Answer 7

• incubation period for 5-15 days
• immediate referral
• maintenance of body symptoms
• control brain inflammation
• ventilation for breathing difficulties
• IV hydration & nutrition

Question 8

Aseptic Meningitis

Answer 8

viral inflammation of the meninges & the cerebrospinal fluid

Caused by:
- mumps
- varicella-zoster viruses
- herpes
- associated with undiagnosed skull fracture

Question 9

Aseptic Meningitis S&S

Answer 9

• nausea
• photophobia
• confusion
• possible seizures

Red Flags:
- severe headache
- high fever
- painful/stiff neck

Question 10

Aseptic Meningitis Treatment

Answer 10

• immediate referral
• biopsy of CPF from lumbar region to rule out bacterial meningitis and encephalitis
• treat symptoms (NSAIDs, rest, hydrate

Question 11

Bacterial Meningitis

Answer 11

• acute life-threatening infection of meninges and cerebrospinal fluid
• can result in permanent brain damage, hearing loss, kidney failure, learning disability, or limb amputation

Question 12

Bacterial Meningitis S&S

Answer 12

• Nausea
• photophobia
• possible seizure
• skin rash
• no appetite or thirst

Red Flags:
- severe, unrelenting headache
- sudden high fever
- painful/stiff neck
- confusion
- vomiting

Question 13

Bacterial Meningitis Treatment

Answer 13

• IV antibiotics
• symptom management

Question 14

Bacterial Meningitis Special Tests

Answer 14

• nuchal rigidity
• Brudzinski sign
• kernig sign

Question 15

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Answer 15

Occurs when immune system attacks nerves causing demyelination of spinal roots & PNS

Question 16

Guillain-Barre Syndrome S&S

Answer 16

• weakness & tingling in extremities
• prickling in fingers and toes
• shortness of breath
• unsteady gait
• difficulty w/ eye movement, facial movement, speaking, chewing or swallowing
• areflexia (no reflex)

Question 17

Guillain-Barre Syndrome Treatment

Answer 17

• immediate referral
• no cure, complete recovery is rare
• may take a year or more for symptoms to lessen
• plasmapheresis (removing damaging antibodies from blood)
• immunoglobin therapy (immunoglobins added to blood to block inflammatory antibodies)

Question 18

Multiple Sclerosis

Answer 18

• chronic neurodegeneration disease affecting the CNS
• myelin sheaths are destroyed and replaced w/ hard sclerotic tissue
• nerve damage caused by inflammation from the immune system attacking nervous system

Question 19

Multiple Sclerosis S&S

Answer 19

• motor control issues
• fatigue
• neurological symptoms
• bladder and bowel dysfunction
• neuro-psychological symptoms

Question 20

Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

Answer 20

• disease-modifying therapy
• relapse management therapies
• symptomatic treatment
• complementary therapies

Question 21

Epilepsy

Answer 21

Disorder of the brain causing electrical surge signals resulting in seizures

Causes:
- previous brain injury
- stroke
- brain tumor
- infection
- alcohol or drug withdrawal
- heat stroke
- inherited disorders

Question 22

Epilepsy S&S

Answer 22

• aura prior to seizure (tingling sensation, emotional change, phantom smell)
• convulsions
• profuse sweating
• confusion
• loss of consciousness

Question 23

Epilepsy Treatment

Answer 23

• DO NOT restrain patient
• clear area around patient
• place pad under their head
• check ABCs
• call EMS if abnormal

Question 24

Epilepsy RTP

Answer 24

Depends on sport and severity

Lower risk if:
- seizure-free for 1 year with meds
- seizure-free for 2 years w/out meds

Sports to avoid:
- gymnastics
- motor sports
- swimming
- weight lifting

Question 25

Stroke

Answer 25

occurs due to lack of blood supply to brain (brain cells can die w/in minutes due to the lack of oxygen supply from blood)

Question 26

Stroke S&S

Answer 26

BE FAST - balance difficulties - eyesight changes - face weakness - arm weakness - speech difficulty - time to call 911

Question 27

Stroke Treatment

Answer 27

- Call EMS - IV warfarin (blood thinner) - IV tissue plasminogen activator (clot dissolver) - speech, occupational, or physical therapy

Question 28

Stroke Athletic Participation

Answer 28

- depends on severity of stroke and its cause - physical activity is recommended - contact sport is discurraged - to participate athlete must: be able to perform functional sport movement & have proper biomechanics