Frequently Asked Questions

Neurological disorders are caused due to malfunction or damage to the central/ peripheral nervous system. Mental illnesses or disorders are manifestations of disturbed behavioral issues and emotional problems.

Neurological disorders hamper the quality of life, are severe, and can be fatal. Though most are still incurable, many treatment outcomes depend on causative factors. With advanced medical procedures and palliative care, many symptoms can be improved and reversed in some cases.

Symptoms that persist for a long time need to be reviewed by a neuro physician like Severe or chronic headaches. Chronic pain in the body which is not of skeletal origin. Dizziness or problems with body balance. Chronic numbness or tingling in feet, fingers, wrists, etc Mild tremors or chronic twitching of muscles. Confused thoughts, random train of thoughts, memory problems.

Neurological disorders are differentiated based on the following: Genetic defects: Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and epilepsy can run in families. Anatomic or structural defects: Bell's palsy, cervical spondylitis, carpal tunnel syndrome. Degenerative changes due to age: stroke, dementia, precipitation of Parkinson's. Blood supply issues(vascular) like brain damage, memory loss, and vascular dementia. Cancer: paraneoplastic disorders of the nervous tissues can cause problems like loss of consciousness, loss of muscle movement, thinking, memory, and sensory perception. Injuries and trauma related: can be due to physical(acute spinal cord injury, ALS, Ataxia) or emotional trauma(adverse childhood experiences can precipitate neurological symptoms). Infections: several viral infections can cause neurological disorders like meningitis, encephalitis, chickenpox, and polio. Seizure disorders: epilepsy.

In medical terms, a neurological disorder can be defined as a disease, abnormality, or disorder affecting the brain, nerves, spinal cord, or nervous tissue present anywhere in the body. These disorders involve all electrical, biochemical, and structural problems related to the organs of the nervous system.

The treatment gap in epilepsy in India ranges from 22% in the urban setting to as high as 90% in villages. The treatment gap has 2 components- People unable to access healthcare services and People who do not adhere to appropriate medical therapy. One million Indians have medically refractory seizures. Approximately 5 -6 lakh people are candidates for epilepsy surgery in India. Still... Just about 500-600 epilepsy surgeries per year are performed.

There are several medical and surgical trials going on for epilepsy treatment in the Western countries. Few of them are enlisted here: XEN1101 As Adjunctive  Therapy In Focal-Onset Epilepsy Stereotactic Laser Ablation For Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Perampanel Study For Infants With Epilepsy Cannabidiol As An Add-On Therapy In Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Focused Ultrasound For Treatment Of Epilepsy

The pharmacological armamentarium against epilepsy has expanded considerably over the last three decades, and currently includes over 30 different antiseizure medications. The new medications which have been added over the past decade by the FDA include Brivaracetam (Levetiracetam derivative), Perampanel (AMPA antagonist), Cenobamate (Carbamate derivative), Everolimus (Rapamycin derivative), Fenfluramine (Amphetamine derivative) and Cannabidiol (Cannabinoid). Among these Brivaracetam and Perampanel are available in India.

At the global level, it is estimated that nearly 70 million people suffer from epilepsy and the prevalence of epilepsy across the globe is estimated to be 5-9 per 1,000 population. There are 12 million people with epilepsy in India, contributing to 1/6th of global burden. In majority of the people with epilepsy ie 70-80%, the seizures can be well-controlled by giving anti-epileptic drugs. The rest 20-30% have medically refractory epilepsy, in these patients advanced modalities of treatment such as dietary therapy, epilepsy surgery and neuromodulation are the emerging therapeutic options.

Epilepsy, the fourth most common neurological disorder, affects people of all ages and can cause unpredictable seizures.