Neurologic Diseases

Neurologic diseases are disorders of the brain, spinal cord and nerves throughout your body.

Together they control all the workings of the body. When something goes wrong with a part of your nervous system, you can have trouble moving, speaking, swallowing, breathing or learning. You can also have problems with your memory, senses or mood. 

The most common causes of neurological disorders include genetic, developmental, or congenital abnormalities; various peripheral diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or a variety of infectious diseases; problems of the immune system (such as multiple sclerosis); brain or spinal cord injury; and environmental toxins. Neurodegenerative diseases affect brain cells, usually later in life, often for unknown reasons. Alzheimer Disease and Parkinson's disease are examples. Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disease known to be caused by inheritance of a mutant gene.

Taken together, neurological diseases are among the most destructive and costly public health problems for any society. Cerebrovascular accidents, more commonly called strokes, account for approximately half of all neurological problems in adults. Traumatic brain and spinal injuries constitute one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States, particularly for young males. Epilepsy, chronic pain, and migraine headaches are widely diagnosed, and there is an increased incidence of Alzheimer Disease and Parkinson's disease due to the aging of society and greater exposure to environmental toxins.