Wade Tucker, age 11, of Cleveland, Ohio, for his question:
WHY DO SOME PEOPLE HAVE NEURALGIA?
Neuralagia is a severe pain that occurs along a nerve. It may occur as repeated stabs of pain in the teeth, sinuses, eyes, face, tongue or throat. Unfortunately, the cause of neuralgia is not known.
The pain may be lmiited to one part of the nerve or it may extend along the nerve's branches.
Neuralagia occurs in only two nerves. One nerve, the trigeminal, has three branches that enter the eyes, face, sinuses and teeth. The other, the glossopharyngeal, leads to the back of the tongue and throat.
Neuralgia is sometimes confused with other conditions called neuritis and radiculopathy. But these occur in many different parts of the body. True neuritis is an inflammation that can permanently damage a nerve. Neuralgia does not harm the nerve.
Tic doulonreux is a type of neuralgia that is comon among older people. The name is French for "painful twitching." Tic douloureux affects the trigeminal nerve and causes facial pain. The face muscles may contract each time a stab of pain occurs.
The pain occurs very suddenly and then shoots along one side of the face. It usually begins at a specific part of the nerve called the trigger zone. It may then spread along various branches of the nerve, but it never involves other nerves.
The pain may last only a few hours, or it may last several weeks. It may then disappear for a few months or years, but it usually returns.
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia is a very rare condition. It affects the throat and the back of the tongue.
Temporary relief for both types of neuralgia may be obtained by using drugs or by numbing the nerve with an injection of alcohol. If the pain does not disappear, the only cure is a surgical operation to remove part of the nerve.
Neuritis is an inflammation of a nerve caused by disease or injury. It is a painful condition that may affect one or many nerves.
Bacteria, viruses and diet and vitamin deficiencies can cause neuritis. Infections such as tuberculosis and shingles can invade a nerve, resulting in neuritis.
Neuritis can also develop when a disease, such as diabetes, changes the activities of the body's cells. Neuritis caused by physical injury to a nerve involves only the injured nerve.
If neuritis continues for a long period of time, a nerve may become so badly damaged that it can no longer function properly. As a result, a person may lose the ability to sense heat, pressure and touch. The body may also lose control over such automatic activities as sweating. If a nerve no longer can stimulate a muscle, the muscle wastes away and eventually becomes paralyzed.
Neuritis is a serious disorder that requires a doctor's care.