Encelopathy of the brain: types and symptoms of the disease

Encelopathy of the brain includes various pathological processes that are non-inflammatory in nature and affect the functions and structure of the brain.
A person can both be born with a disease, and acquire it. In congenital forms, encephalopathy in children occurs during the perinatal period in the seventh month of pregnancy. Acquired disease develops later in the course of time as a consequence of trauma, changes in cerebral vessels or some infection.

There are several types of ailment: Wernicke's encephalopathy, which occurs with malnutrition, toxic, hypertensive, disciplinary encephalopathy, progressive vascular and hypertensive leukoencephalopathy.
The main cause of the congenital form of the disease is considered to be oxygen starvation or injury to the fetus during childbirth. The risk factors for this pathology include infectious diseases of the mother during the carrying of the child (especially neuroinfections), which lead to pregnancy with complications. Danger is represented by a large mass and fetal entanglement of the umbilical cord, as well as premature birth. An encephalopathy of the brain can be caused by a difficult opening of the birth canal.

A common pediatric diagnosis is perinatal encephalopathy of the brain, the causes of which can be various negative factors that affect the mother during pregnancy. It can be alcoholic or narcotic intoxication, taking psychoactive drugs, stressful conditions, infectious and other diseases.

The danger of infantile encephalopathy is that, due to difficult diagnosis, it can pass into more dangerous diseases: cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, epilepsy, etc.

The cause of the acquired form of encephalopathy is most often various intoxications, infections of the body, arising changes in the blood vessels of the brain, tumors, craniocerebral trauma. Very often the ailment is accompanied by atherosclerosis, ischemia, diabetes, liver failure and vegetative-vascular distan.

Encelopathy of the brain does not have obvious symptoms, but some manifestations still exist, indirectly indicating the disease. Most often, problems arise such as memory and consciousness disorders. A person begins to irritate over trifles, he has an unmotivated aggression, or, on the contrary, he becomes passive, sluggish and quickly tired. Encelopathy of the brain is characterized by the appearance of insomnia, asthenia and headache. The sick person loses control over emotions. Symptoms such as dizziness, depression, loss of consciousness are also characteristic.

Narcotic or alcoholic encephalopathy has more acute symptoms in the form of specific psychoses, with rapidly advancing brain damage.

Regardless of the causes and forms of the disease, professional treatment will be required. Because of the seriousness and danger of the disease, independent attempts to fight the disease are unacceptable.

Modern diagnostic methods can reveal structural and functional changes in the brain. Determine the disease allows echoencephalography and neurosonography, for the detection of pathology produce an electroencephalogram, positron emission and computed tomography.

Analyzing the data obtained during the research, they are compared with the results of the examination of the patient, and, taking into account his complaints, determine the most effective treatment of encephalopathy. Usually, measures to combat the disease include taking medication, correcting nutrition, massage and exercise therapy, which allows to normalize muscle tone, and improve metabolism.