TN News: Who gets TN?

Estimates on the prevalence of Trigeminal neuralgia vary. According to studies cited by a recent paper published in 2013, TN is diagnosed for approximately 12.6 to 28.9 people per 100,000 every year. The disease is uncommon enough that it be very difficult for your doctor to diagnose.


TN is most common for women, and patients who have high blood pressure (hypertension), or multiple sclerosis, a chronic and debilitating disease that affect the myelin sheathes that protect your brain cells (neurons).

drawing by surrealdesirex, Trigeminal Neuralgia from deviantart.com

While TN does not cause death, it does cause excruciating pain, and was previously known by some as "suicide disease" because of the high potential for self-harm related to the experience of severe chronic pain.

So what are the options for patients with TN? There are options! Please come back next week to learn more about TN.

Sources:
 Increased risk of trigeminal neuralgia after hypertension: a population-based study. Neurology. 2011 Oct 25;77(17):1605-10. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182343354. Epub 2011 Oct 12.

Neuropathic pain in the general population: a systematic review of epidemiological studies. 
Pain. 2014 Apr;155(4):654-62. doi: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.11.013. Epub 2013 Nov 26.

Spectrum of trigeminal neuralgia. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2013 Jan-Jun;25(1-2):168-71.