I had a strange episode the other night.
I woke up and thought I had had a stroke. My legs were like jelly, my arms had no strength, and movement was very slow motion. My brain was functioning quite well, although I had no volume to my speech.
I contemplated ringing the ambulance, but decided to stay calm , breathe deeply and do all the tests the doctors would do to diagnose a stroke. I took an asprin, and lay there slowly trying to regain control. It took 30 minutes, and slowly my strength came back. Was it a panick attack, was it a mini stroke, was it something weird? The CT scan the following morning came back clear, except for a diagnosis of, "normal scan. idiopathic calcification of the basal ganglia.'

Normal, it stated clearly. In fact, it was so normal that my doctor didn't even look at the result, until I brought it up. But when I asked her opinion about it, she didn't have a clue what it was. I have been feeling dizzy, slightly off balance, have aching muscles for 2 years, occasional facial neuropathy, headaches, and strange depression, which I never realy had. I am 52, but the doctors cannot work it out. I should be healthy.

This page will attempt to provide information about this 'rare disease", as I gather data from as many places as possible. It may not be the cause of my present symptoms, but so far in my research, it appears that it will undoubtedly have some effects at one point in my life. If anyone has any information, please add it to the page. Please click on my post headlines to take you direct to the relevant sites.Cheers.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Parkinsonism, iron overload and calcium metabolism

Calcification of the Basal Ganglia and Fahrs syndrome has been linked to a condition called "Parkinsonism", as many of the late onset symproms mimic the effects of Parkinsons disease.However, calcification is not a standard symptom of Parkinsons, and therefore, CBG is not classified under that particular disease. Getting to the bottom of WHAT causes the calcification is the primary objective of research.A decline in ATP production appears to be the most likely culprit, as is an overload of many minerals.There are many possibilities, but until there is a breakthrough, the medical world is left to study and apply their funding to the most appropriate (profitable and prolific?)disease studies.Medical breakthroughs, however are occurring in other areas, as our knowledge and technology increases.In my opinion, it is not unlikely that in the near future we will find that the majority of brain diseases, like Parkinsons, Dementia, Altzheimers, and even MS, are all interlinked.The new study on iron overload on the brain could well apply to CBG, as numerous studies have indicated metal toxicity as a possible cause.

"Disorders of calcium metabolism may occur in association with parkinsonism. Hypoparathyroidism has been reported to cause parkinsonism both in the presence and absence of basal ganglia calcifications. It may occur as a late complication after thyroidectomy[5] and may be responsive to levodopa in some cases.[6] Pseudohypoparathyroidism, characterized by end-organ resistance to normal endogenous parathyroid hormone, may be associated with parkinsonism in up to 4 to 12% of patients, either with or without evidence of basal ganglia calcifications,[7] and may respond partly to normalization of serum calcium.[8] Hyperparathyroidism due to parathyroid adenomas can rarely cause parkinsonism, which is reversible after surgical removal of the tumor.[9] Bilateral subcortical calcification involving the basal ganglia and cerebellum, often labeled as Fahr's disease, represents a heterogeneous collection of disorders that are not associated with a known disorder of calcium metabolism. Movement disorders in Fahr's disease most commonly present as parkinsonism (55%), often in association with dementia, cerebellar signs, or other hyperkinetic movements including chorea, tremor, and dystonia.[10] "
MORE from Medscape

No comments:

Post a Comment