it is a chronic disease of the nervous system, during which in the medulla and spinal cord are formed cavity. It often happens that the cavities appear due to the expansion of the longitudinal (Central) canal which runs into the spinal cord in all its length, and is filled with cerebrospinal fluid.
Syringomyelia of the spinal cord is a very rare abnormality. On 100 thousand population it affects only about 7-9 people. Most often it is registered in men and the average age of manifestation of 30 years.
The cause of syringomyelia expansion of the spinal canal. This happens when the liquid in the channel bends around obstacles, under pressure of which is formed a cavity. After all, in the spinal canal grows glia is the support cells that do not transmit impulses. For this reason, impaired transmission of impulses from the organs and the bodies from the brain.
Disease syringomyelia can be congenital and acquired. Congenital disease appears in consequence of the imperfect development of the embryo, which correctly laid the spinal cord and damaged gray matter. One of the causes of the disease can be congenital abnormality in the development of some structures of the brain (the syndrome Dandy-Walker, Chiari malformation). Most of the cavities thus formed in verhnegrudnom and niinisalo divisions of the spinal canal. In the thoracic the occurrence is rare, and in the lumbosacral region are extremely rare.
As a result of injury to the spinal cord, is formed of acquired syringomyelia.
The disease begins in a latent form. The early symptoms of syringomyelia is a weakness in the muscles of the arms, reducing temperature, pain sensitivity, and reduced body weight. It was during this period patients often burned and cut themselves, because they can not draw back his hand in time. After some time, the numbness begins to spread to other parts of the body. With areas of normal skin are often interspersed areas of sensitivity in the form of strips, spots, collar, jacket, or palakurthi. Symptoms can be burning, sharp shooting pain, which can hurt any area of the body. For example, syringobulbia is marked by disturbance of sensation in the outer area of the face, which is manifested in the form of the soft palate, vocal cords, pharynx and muscles of the tongue.
The next stage of development is to reduce the volume of the muscles, reducing their tone and weakness, in which the patient becomes hard to move. Begins to develop paresis of arms and legs. Also it disappears or decreases sweating. Though happens and on the contrary very profuse sweating after drinking hot or spicy foods.
The skin of a patient with syringomyelia bluish, it formed boils, ulcers, and the fingers of the hands and feet of panaritiums. Pain does not, since its sensitivity is broken.
Suffering from the upper eyelid drooping, pupil constricted, thus these symptoms occur only on one eye. Also patients have bone problems, which gradually leaches the calcium, they become very brittle and break, but due to the decreased sensitivity of pain at fracture the patient feels. Patients often curved spine.
When the diagnosis of syringomyelia treatment is impossible, you can only remove the symptoms and stop the development. Radiotherapy (radiation radiation therapy is, in which rays irradiate a limited area of the body or the body) gives a good effect when the disease syringomyelia. The patient decrease or disappear pain, greatly reduced impervious surface of the skin, goose bumps disappear (unpleasant sensations in the hands). This is due to the x-rays, which delayed the development of the disease. However, not everybody helps surgery syringomyelia not the later stages it is absolutely useless.
Also quite effective is proselkova therapy, during which neostigmine improves impulse transmission between the cells, thereby giving a persistent improvement in the General condition. But the very reason for the formation of cavities is not affected, as it is only symptomatic therapy, which is effective only at the initial stages of the disease.
Also in the treatment of syringomyelia is used radioactive iodine and radioactive phosphorus, which accumulates in the body, thus delaying the pathological growth of glia.
Patients with syringomyelia also recommended radon baths (balneotherapy) and visits to hospitals and health centers.
In this disease the prognosis is quite favorable. If a timely diagnosis of syringomyelia and its treatment, life expectancy is not reduced. This is an urgent need to eat right, consume more vitamin A, which is found in spinach, beets, cabbage and carrots. Dairy products are also very useful in syringomyelia due to them replenishes the deficiency of calcium.
In patients with this disease there is a violation of temperature sensitivity, and this means that they can be easily damaged from both fire and frost, so for them to follow. And patients themselves should not come close to the fire, to dress for the weather, and not to touch surfaces that may be hot.
Though the prognosis for life of patients is favorable, place of work, they need to choose very carefully, adapting to their symptoms. Patients need to refuse to work where you have to stand for long, which require physical strength, where you have to walk a lot in places where it is likely to burn, and where there is a danger to broken limbs.
The prevention of congenital diseases is timely diagnosis of syringomyelia. For the prevention of the acquired disease is necessary to prevent any injury to the spine, and in the case of their occurrence it is necessary to properly treat, carefully following all the instructions of the doctor.