Snoring And Sleep Apnea Evaluation And Management

occipital_nerves

Head And Neck Pain (Headaches, Migraine)

Migraine and Cervicogenic headaches have the most common symptoms of head and neck pain. Both the pains might seem to be similar but they have different reasons. Migraines originate from the brain but Cervicogenic headaches originate from the neck.
Migraine is a throbbing pain mostly on one side of the head. It has been believed that before a migraine attack a neck pain is experienced. It is caused due to the hypersensitive neurons being triggered by some kind of environmental changes, hormones, food etc. there are various phases of migraine like prodrome, aura, migraine attack and pre drome.
Cervicogenic headaches seem to mimic migraine but they seem to orginate from the cervical spine. These are caused due to the issues in the bones, nerves and muscles in the neck. The pain is felt in the head but it is a referred pain from a different area in the body. The most common symptoms are stress, tiredness, trauma or eyestrain.

Thyroid Diseases

The thyroid gland is present in the neck and this gland is responsible for regulating the metabolism rate in the body. The thyroid diseases occur when the thyroid gland produces too much hormone (hyperthyroidism) or produces too less hormone (hypothyroidism). The most common thyroid disorders are thyroid nodules and goiter. The most common symptoms are tiredness, weight gain, hair loss, weakness in joints and muscles and itchy or dry skin.

thyroid-disease-1

Parathyroid Diseases

Parathyroid disease is referred to the diseases that occur due to the malfunctioning of the parathyroid glands. These glands are responsible for producing the parathyroid hormone (PTH) which maintains the calcium level in the body. When there are abnormal level of calcium releases into the blood then various diseases like kidney stones, fatigue, brittle bones, weakness and many other problems arise.

Salivary Gland Diseases

Salivary glands produce saliva in the mouth to keep the mouth moist, digest food and also prevents decaying in the teeth. These glands are present in the inner lining of the mouth, lips and cheeks. Parotid gland and submandibular salivary glands are situated in front of the ear and under the jaw bone in the upper neck.There are various disease that occur when the salivary glands are blocked. The most common symptoms are pain and swelling of the affected glands. A lot of pain is experienced while eating food. Stones blocking the salivary gland duct can also cause swelling, pain and salivary gland infection. In vulnerable people like diabetics this infection can spread to neck causing abscess which can be potentially fatal.

DEN_salivary_glands
main-qimg-97e45379bb84d2d44b430e731d2ec6e5

Lump Or Swellings In The Neck

A neck lump is known as neck mass. These neck masses can be small or large. They are often harmless or benign but in certain cases they can be indications of serious diseases. These swollen lumps can be caused due to infections, viruses, malignancy or swollen lymph nodes. When the salivary glands are swollen they can be an indication of cancer or infection.Any swelling in the neck which persists more than 2 weeks even if there are no other symptoms

Lymph nodes

The body has a network of lymph nodes and vessels which carries a clear fluid throughout the body and it is a part of the immune system. These vessels are responsible for filtering out the harmful substances in our body. A lymph node swells up mostly because it wants to fight of the germ or bacteria in the body. When there is a swollen lymph node there can be mild or severe pain in the swollen area, might have fever and so on.

CTJXED The lymphatic system labeled
nejmra1715715_f1

The Head and Neck cancer

Head and neck cancer usually afflicts people who regularly chew or smoke tobacco. It affects mostly elderly but is increasingly seen in younger peopl because of tobacco addiction starting in childhood. Patient can present with a lump or ulcer in the mouth which does not heal. Neck swelling can be indirect sign. Cancer can also affect throat , back of the nose( nasopharynx) . Cancer affecting each site has specified treatment depending on the stage and extent of spread at the time of diagnosis. Early detection and appropriate and timely treatment can cure cancer.

Neurotology

Tinnitus (Ringing In The Ears)

Tinnitus is referred to as a perception of ringing noise in the ears. Many people are affected by this issue. However tinnitus is not a disease or condition on its own. It is a type of symptom that indicates some type of underlying condition like loss of hearing due to age or ear injury and some kind of disorder in the circulation system.

Tinnitus

Dizziness

Dizziness constitutes a varied range of sensations like feeling weak, faint and woozy. When dizziness is experienced then a perception is developed where it seems like the surrounding is spinning. Dizziness has many underlying causeslike migraine, effects due to medication, influence or alcohol. This is also caused due to a problem in the inner ear generally related to balance regulation.

Hearing Loss

The three most important types of hearing loss are:
Sensorineural hearing loss- this occurs when the inner ear nerves and hair cells are injured. This mostly occurs due to age, noise damage and so on.
Conductive hearing loss- this happens when there are blockades in the outer or middle ear. This mostly occurs due to the build-up of tumours, fluids and earwax.
Mixed hearing loss- this is a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.

Facial Nerve Diseases Including Bell’s Palsy

Facial nerve diseases are referred to the diseases which cause facial paralysis, twitching in the face and as well as weakness around the face. There are certain diseases which even impact the taste buds on the affected side of the face.
There are many facial nerve diseases like Lyme disease, Bell’s palsy, stroke, skull tumour, nerve trauma and so on, but among these the most common type of facial nerve disease is the bell’s palsy. Bell’s palsy has many underlying conditions like infections and stroke. But mostly it damages the nerve that controls the facial muscles. most common cause is a viral infection affecting the nerve.

Diseases Of Jugular Fossa, CP Angle And Skull Base.

These regions form the skull base, junction between brain and the ear. Rarely tumors or masses can affect this region causing hearing loss, ringing sound in the ear and giddiness.

Head and Neckcancer