Degenerative diseases: list

This term is unaccustomed to the ear of many patients. In our country, doctors rarely use it and display data Ailments in a separate group. However, in the world medicine in the lexicon of doctors the term "degenerative diseases" is constantly encountered. Their group includes those pathologies that are constantly progressing, provoking a deterioration in the functioning of tissues, organs, and their structure. With degenerative diseases, cells constantly change, their condition worsens, it affects tissues and organs. In this case, the word "degeneration" means a steady and gradual degeneration, a deterioration of something.

Hereditary degenerative diseases

Diseases of this group are completely heterogeneous clinically, but they are characterized by a similar course. At any time, a healthy adult or child can get spontaneously ill after exposure to some provoking factors, the CNS, as well as other systems and organs, can suffer. Clinical symptoms gradually increase, the patient's condition is constantly deteriorating. Progression is variable. Hereditary degenerative-dystrophic diseases eventually lead to the fact that a person loses many of the basic functions (speech, movement, vision, hearing, thought processes and others). Very often such diseases have a lethal outcome.

The cause of hereditary degenerative diseases can be called pathological genes. For this reason, the age of the manifestation of the disease is difficult to calculate, depending on the expression of the gene. The degree of severity of the disease will be more pronounced with the active manifestation of pathological signs of the gene.

Already in the 19th century, neurologists described such diseases, but could not explain the reason for their appearance. Modern neurology thanks to molecular genetics has discovered many biochemical defects in genes that are responsible for the development of the symptoms of diseases of this group. Traditionally, the symptoms are given eponymic names, this is a tribute to the works of scientists who first described these diseases.

Characteristic features of degenerative diseases

Degenerative-dystrophic diseases have similar features. These include:

• The onset of diseases is almost imperceptible, but they all progress steadily, which can last for decades.
• The beginning is difficult to track, the cause can not be identified.
• Affected tissues and organs gradually refuse to perform their functions, degeneration moves along the approaching one.
• Diseases of this group have resistance to therapy, treatment is always complex, complex and rarely effective. Most often it does not give the desired results. Degenerative growth can be slowed down, but it is almost impossible to stop it.
• Diseases are more common among older people, the elderly, among young people they are less common.
• Often, diseases have a relationship with genetic predisposition. The disease can occur in several people in one family.

The most famous diseases

The most common and known degenerative diseases:

• atherosclerosis;
• cancer;
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus;
• Alzheimer's disease;
• osteoarthritis;
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• osteoporosis;
• Parkinson's disease;
• multiple sclerosis;
• prostatitis.

Most often, people classify these ailments as "terrible", but this is not the whole list. There are diseases that some have not even heard of.

Degenerative and dystrophic joint diseases

At the heart of the degenerative-dystrophic disease of osteoarthritis is the degeneration of cartilage of the joint, as a consequence with subsequent pathological changes in the epiphyseal bone tissue.

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease, which affects 10-12% of people, with age the number only grows. Hip or knee joints are more common in both women and men. Degenerative diseases - osteoarthroses are divided into primary and secondary.

Primary arthrosis occupies 40% of the total number of diseases, the degenerative process starts as a result of great physical exertion, with a sharp increase in body weight, with age-related changes.

Secondary arthrosis accounts for 60% of the total. Often arise as a result of mechanical injuries, intra-articular fractures, with congenital dysplasia, after infectious articular diseases, with aseptic necrosis.

In general, arthrosis is divided into primary and secondary purely conventionally, because they are based on the same pathogenic factors, which may have a different combination. It is often more difficult to determine which factor has become the main factor, and which secondary is not possible.

After degenerative changes, the surfaces of the joints are excessively pressed against each other by contact. As a result, in order to reduce the mechanical effect, osteophytes grow. The pathological process progresses, the joints are increasingly deformed, the functions of the musculoskeletal apparatus are disrupted. Movement becomes limited, a contracture is formed.

Deforming coxarthrosis. Deforming gonarthrosis

Degenerative diseases of joints coxarthrosis and gonarthrosis occur quite often.

First place in the frequency of occurrence is coxarthrosis - deformation of the hip joint. The disease leads first to a loss of ability to work, and later to disability. It can often occur from 35 to 40 years. Women suffer this more often than men. Symptoms appear gradually, depending on the age, weight of the patient, physical activity of a person. The initial stages do not have severe symptoms. Sometimes there is a rapid fatigability in the standing position and when walking or when wearing weights. As degenerative changes, pain increases. Completely disappear only in a state of rest, in a dream. At the slightest load, they resume. When the form of pain is permanent, it can intensify at night.

Gonarthrosis takes the second place - 50% among diseases of knee joints. It flows easier than coxarthrosis. For many, the process is suspended at stage 1. Even neglected cases rarely lead to a loss of efficiency.

There are 4 forms of gonarthrosis:

• Damage to the internal parts of the knee;
• Primary lesions of external departments;
• Arthrosis of patello-femoral joints;
• Defeat of all articular departments.

Osteocondritis of the spine

Degenerative diseases of the spine: osteochondrosis, spondylosis, spondylarthrosis.

In osteochondrosis, degenerative processes begin in the intervertebral discs in the pulpous nucleus. In spondylosis, the bodies of adjacent vertebrae are involved in the process. In spondylarthrosis, intervertebral joint damage occurs. Degenerative and dystrophic diseases of the spine are very dangerous and weakly treatable. The degree of pathology is determined by the functional and morphological features of the discs.

People over 50 years old suffer from these disorders in 90% of cases. Recently there has been a tendency to rejuvenate spine diseases, they are found even in young patients aged 17-20 years. Osteochondrosis is more common in people who are engaged in excessive physical labor.

Clinical manifestations depend on the localization of the expressed processes and can represent neurological, static, vegetative disorders.

Degenerative diseases of the nervous system

Degenerative diseases of the nervous system combine a large group. All diseases characterize the lesions of groups of neurons that connect the body with certain external and internal factors. This is due to violations of intracellular processes, often due to genetic defects.

Many degenerative diseases are manifested by limited or diffuse brain atrophy, in certain structures microscopic decrease of neurons occurs. In some cases, there is only a violation in the functions of cells, death does not occur, brain atrophy does not develop (essential tremor, idiopathic dystonia).

In the vast majority of degenerative diseases have long periods of latent development, but steadily progressing form.

Degenerative diseases of the central nervous system are classified according to clinical manifestations and reflect the involvement of certain structures of the nervous system. Are allocated:

• Diseases with manifestations of extrapyramidal syndromes (Huntington's disease, tremor, Parkinson's disease).
• Diseases showing cerebellar ataxia (spinocerebellar degeneration).
• Diseases with lesions of motor neurons (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
• Diseases with the manifestation of dementia (Pick's disease, Alzheimer's disease).

Alzheimer's disease

Nervous degenerative diseases with manifestations of dementia occur more often in the elderly. The most common is Alzheimer's disease. Progresses in people older than 80 years. In 15% of cases, the disease is of a family nature. Develops for 10-15 years.

Neuronal lesions begin in the associative areas of the parietal cortex, the temporal and frontal cortex, while the auditory, visual and somatosensory areas remain unaffected. In addition to the disappearance of neurons, important features include deposits in senile plaques of amyloid, as well as thickening and thickening of neurofibrillar structures of degenerating and preserved neurons, they contain tauprotein. In all elderly people, such changes occur in small amounts, but in Alzheimer's disease they are more pronounced. There were also cases when the clinic resembled the course of dementia, but plaques were not observed.

The atrophied zone has a reduced blood supply, it can be an adaptation for the disappearance of neurons. This disease can not be a consequence of atherosclerosis.

Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is also called trembling paralysis. This degenerative disease of the brain progresses slowly, while selectively affects the dopaminergic neurons, manifested by a combination of rigidity with akinesia, postural instability and rest tremor. The cause of the disease is still unclear. There is a version that the disease is hereditary.

The prevalence of the disease is wide and reaches in persons after 65 years in a ratio of 1 out of 100.

The disease manifests itself gradually. The first manifestations are the trembling of limbs, sometimes changes in gait, stiffness. First, patients notice pain in the back and extremities. Symptoms are first unilateral, then the second side is connected.

Progression of Parkinson's Disease

The main manifestation of the disease is akinesia or impoverishment, slowing down of movements. The person becomes masked in time (hypomymia). The flashing is rare, so the look seems piercing. Friendly movements disappear (swinging hands when walking). Thin movements of the fingers are broken. The patient with difficulty changes the pose, gets up from the chair or turns in a dream. The speech is monotonous and muffled. Steps become shuffling, short. The main manifestation of parkinsonism - tremor of hands, lips, jaw, head, arises at rest. Tremor can depend on emotions and other movements of the patient.

At later stages, mobility is sharply restricted, and the ability to balance is lost. Many patients develop mental disorders, but only some develop dementia.

The rate of progression of the disease is different, it can be many years. By the end of life, patients are completely immobilized, swallowing is difficult, there is a risk of aspiration. As a result, death most often arises from bronchopneumonia.

Essential tremor

Degenerative disease is characterized by benign jitter, not to be confused with Parkinson's disease. Tremor of the hands occurs when you move or hold the pose. In 60% of the disease is hereditary, manifested most often in the age of over 60 years. It is believed that the cause of hyperkinesis is a violation between the cerebellum and the core of the trunk.

Tremor can increase with fatigue, agitation, coffee, some drugs. It happens that the tremor involves head movements like "no-no" or "yes-yes", legs, tongue, lips, vocal cords, trunk can connect. Over time, the tremor amplitude increases, and this disrupts the normal quality of life.

Lifetime does not suffer, neurological symptoms are absent, intellectual functions are preserved.