Table of Contents
What is periventricular white matter ischemia?
Periventricular white matter changes in ischemic and Alzheimer’s disease brain, referred to as leukoaraiosis, are responsible for changes in memory, cognition and behavior. It is not clear whether the blood-brain barrier in ischemic periventricular white matter is altered in aged animals.
What is meant by ischemic demyelination?
The term “ischemic demyelination” is commonly used to denote small vessel ischemic changes, typically most evident on T2-weighted and FLAIR MRI brain scan. These hyperintensities are commonly seen in the elderly.
What causes ischemic demyelination?
Triggers. Demyelination is often caused by inflammation that attacks and destroys myelin. Inflammation can occur in response to an infection, or it can attack the body as part of an autoimmune process. Toxins or infections can also harm myelin or may interfere with its production.
What can cause demyelination in the brain?
Causes of demyelination
- certain viral infections.
- metabolic problems.
- loss of oxygen.
- physical compression.
What is bilateral periventricular?
Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a type of brain injury that affects premature infants. The condition involves the death of small areas of brain tissue around fluid-filled areas called ventricles. The damage creates “holes” in the brain. “Leuko” refers to the brain’s white matter.
How long can you live with white matter disease?
It is not possible to stop disease progression, and it is typically fatal within 6 months to 4 years of symptom onset. People with the juvenile form of metachromatic leukodystrophy, which develops between the age of 4 and adolescence, may live for many years after diagnosis.
Can demyelination be cured?
No cures exist for demyelinating diseases and their progression, and symptoms are different for everyone. Getting treatment early is important. Treatment focuses on: Minimizing the effects of the attacks.
Can demyelination cause death?
Background. Common cause of death in demyelinating disorders such as Multiple sclerosis has been reported to be due to complications associated with the background illness. We report two patients who were being investigated for Multiple sclerosis and related disorders that had unexpected sudden deaths.
How serious is white matter disease?
Summary: More evidence has been accumulated that damage to cognitive areas is widespread from white matter disease. White matter disease is responsible for about a fifth of all strokes worldwide, more than doubles the future risk of stroke, and is a contributing factor in up to 45\% of dementias.
What is periventricular in the brain?
Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a softening of white brain tissue near the ventricles. The ventricles are fluid-filled chambers in the brain. These are the spaces in the brain that contain the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
Can white matter disease cause death?
In general, the prognosis is grave, with the majority of patients dying after a few years. However, some die only after several months, and some manage to survive for several decades [6].
What disease causes demyelination?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. In this disorder, your immune system attacks the myelin sheath or the cells that produce and maintain it. This causes inflammation and injury to the sheath and ultimately to the nerve fibers that it surrounds.