The fifth nerve
Trigeminal nerve is one of the twelve cranial nerves, carrying sensory and motor fibers, and has three branches; an eye fork, an upper jawbone, and a lower jaw branch. The upper branches of the upper jaw carry the sensory pulses of the nasal mucosa, the skin that covers the cheek, and part of the forehead. The upper part of the scalp, In addition to the lips, upper teeth, and the lower jaw branch, it carries sensory impulses on the sides of the head, chin, mucous membrane of the mouth, lower teeth, and two thirds of the front of the tooth, and for the fiber is part of the branch of the mandible, Chewing process.
Fifth nerve disease
Trigeminal Neuralgia is a pain caused by irritation or damage of the fifth nerve. The pain is characterized by short attacks of severe pain attacks in the path of the nerve in the face, and the front of the head from the affected side, often in one side of But the pain on the sides of the face can occur. The nature of the pain is like a stab, or an electric shock, with a burning sensation. The most vulnerable age group is the elderly who are over 50, and the disease affects women more than men .
Causes of the fifth nerve disease
There are many reasons that can be the cause of pain in the fifth nerve; including:
- Aging.
- The incidence of MS.
- Infection with a tumor leads to pressure on the fifth nerve.
- Exposure to a blow or injury to the face area.
- An injury to the nerve pathway occurs during an operation in the face or head area.
- Stroke of a brain clot in an effective position in the fifth nerve.
- Pressure on the fifth nerve mediated by an artery or vein at the occurrence of an expansion in the blood vessels inside the cranium.
- Spinal herpes infection is a viral disease that affects the skin on the pathway of the affected nerve.
Stimulants for episodes of pain associated with the disease of the fifth nerve
Although pain attacks can occur without any stimulant, there are several things that can trigger the onset of severe pain episodes after they are done, including:
- Touch the face.
- Shave or remove facial hair.
- Make-up mode.
- Chewing while eating and drinking.
- Kissing.
- The smile.
- Brushing.
- Facial Wash.
- Talk.
- Swallowing.
- Face exposure to aerobic or air conditioning.
- Moving the head, exposing it to the wheel, or being driven by driving or walking.
Symptoms of the fifth nerve disease
Symptoms of the fifth nerve disease are pain that occurs in the facial area, and comes in the form of severe attacks and repeated lasting from seconds to a few minutes, and similar to the nature of electric shock or appeal to continue for a second along the injured part of the fifth nerve, usually the injury on one side of the face , And the injured branch is often the branch of the lower jaw or upper, and the pain attacks are stimulated by the stimuli mentioned above, and these attacks can recur over days, or weeks, months, or years, and these seizures increase in frequency and frequency on The shorter periods with progress in time, are considered e Off his pain automatic behavior in the face Kaltbasm, speech, touching the face in areas that stimulate pain, leading to disruption of the patient to perform normal daily duties, such as eating, chewing, brushing teeth, washing the face.
Diagnosis of the fifth nerve disease
Diagnosis of the disease by knowing the symptoms of the patient, the history of the patient, in addition to the clinical examination of the patient; by examining the functions in areas fed by the fifth nerve, to know the branch injured, and it is necessary to make a magnetic resonance of the head area to exclude the presence of tumors In the brain area, the presence of an expansion of the cerebral blood vessels, or the incidence of sclerosis, and if the cause of pain is the disease of the fifth nerve; the injured branch is identified in the picture, and the doctor can turn to magnetic resonance imaging to determine the area of the pressure of the senses Blood on the fifth nerve.
Treatment of the fifth nerve disease
In the beginning, the cause of facial pain must be determined. It may be the cause of MS. Here, the treatment of MS should be followed with the neurologist. If the pain is caused by the fifth nerve, it is treated with medication to relieve pain, Pain to the brain, and drugs used:
- Such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, or lamotrigine, and the doctor may increase the dose if the patient does not respond to the initial dose. Anti-convulsive drugs have side effects : Feeling nausea and dizziness, and that the drug Carbamazepin interact with other drugs so if the patient was prescribed in the case of the disease of the fifth nerve must be taken into account other drugs taken by the patient.
- Muscle relaxants, where the doctor can prescribe muscle relaxants such as Baclofen alone or in combination with an anticonvulsant such as carbamazepine.
- Botox injections, which can treat the pain caused by the fifth nerve disease by injecting Botox, but more studies are still in place to adopt this treatment.
- If these medications do not ease the pain of the patient, the doctor resort to a surgical solution, and the goal of the surgery is to reduce the pressure of the blood vessels on the fifth nerve, with the possibility of pain return months or years after the procedure.