Of the patients who reported pain, neuropathic pain as assessed by the LANSS scale was found in 19 PD (33%) and three MSA (18%) patients.
Peripheral neuropathy is usually subtle or subclinical in patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA).
PD and MSA patients are prone to pain with insufficient treatment.
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare condition of the nervous system that causes gradual damage to nerve cells in the brain. This affects balance, movement and the autonomic nervous system, which controls several basic functions, such as breathing, digestion and bladder control.
Difficulty bending your arms and legs. Slow movement (bradykinesia) Tremors can occur at rest or when moving your arms or legs. Soft voice.
Sleep and breathing problems are very common in MSA patients. Sleep apnea (momentary lapses in breathing), respiratory stridor (noisy breathing), REM behavior disorder (shouting and acting out dreams) and excessive daytime sleepiness can be among the earliest symptoms of MSA.
Potential toxic products include inflammatory cytokines and other inflammatory markers, produced and released by activated microglia. Therefore, it is speculated that there is an inflammatory state in the brain of MSA, which may be associated with the neurophysiological cause of the disease.
Numbness, tingling,or weakness. Or you may not be able to move a part or all of one side of the body (paralysis). Dimness, blurring, double vision, or loss of vision in one or both eyes. Loss of speech, trouble talking, or trouble understanding speech.
MRI is useful and indispensable in the diagnosis of MSA and also possibly for monitoring disease progression.
It is documented that fatigue is a symptom of MSA and is prevalent in the early stages while remaining persistent over time. Everyone experiences MSA symptoms differently, and fatigue is no exception. Here are some signs to be mindful of: Weakness or feelings of heaviness, especially in the arms and legs.
What bowel problems can occur when you have MSA? Constipation is the most common bowel problem experienced by people with MSA. However, a number of people with MSA will experience diarrhoea and some people have fluctuation between constipation and diarrhoea (see points 5, 7 and 9 below).
Definition. Multiple system atrophy- parkinsonian type (MSA-P) is a rare condition that causes symptoms similar to Parkinson disease. However, people with MSA-P have more widespread damage to the part of the nervous system that controls important functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating.
During the final stages of the disease, patients have trouble chewing, swallowing, speaking and breathing.
Whilst MSA doesn't cause loss of sight, there are several symptoms that can occur. People living with MSA may display abnormal eye movements. Most commonly, this is a consequence of impaired or absent convergence, which is the ability to focus both eyes together. This may result in blurred or double vision.
In MSA there may be several stages -- alpha-synuclein accumulates in the oligodendroglial cells, then there is failure of mitochondrial function as well as loss of trophic factor support. Then the oligodendroglia degenerate, followed by microglia and astroglial activation.
Nerve pain is usually caused by an injury or disease that affects your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) or the nerves that run to your muscles and organs. Common causes include: an injury to your brain, spine or nerves. poor blood supply to your nerves.
When you feel safer, because the 'danger' has passed or because you no longer fear it, your body returns to a more relaxed state. This explains why some symptoms of MSA such as a tremor or speech difficulty can seem temporarily worse in stressful situations.
Malnutrition is associated with higher mortality in the elderly population19 and MSA patients are frequently associated with weight loss20 and a malnutritional state8.
Though dementia is not considered a common characteristic of MSA, cognitive impairment occurs in some patients in the form of loss of verbal memory and verbal fluency1.
Autonomic Symptoms
All people with MSA have autonomic dysfunction, but it varies in severity from person to person. Symptoms can include: Cold hands or feet and heat intolerance, because control of body temperature is impaired.
MSA affects men and women equally, with an average age of onset of approximately 55 years [2, 3].