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Trigeminal neuralgia in multiple sclerosis
1Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Neurology
|July 1, 1995
Summary
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) affects 1.9% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. In some cases, TN precedes MS diagnosis, and its onset is often later in MS patients, with good treatment outcomes reported.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroimmunology
Background:
- Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a neuropathic pain condition.
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in a large multiple sclerosis (MS) clinic population.
- To determine the temporal relationship between the onset of TN and MS symptoms.
- To analyze the clinical features and treatment outcomes of TN in MS patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of patient records from a multiple sclerosis (MS) clinic.
- Inclusion of 1,882 patients diagnosed with MS.
- Identification and characterization of patients who also developed trigeminal neuralgia (TN).
Main Results:
- Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) was diagnosed in 35 patients (1.9%) within the MS cohort.
- TN onset occurred an average of 11.8 years after the initial MS symptom, but in 5 patients, TN was the first presenting symptom of MS.
- Later MS onset was observed in patients with TN, and bilateral TN occurred more frequently (14%) than typically expected.
Conclusions:
- Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a significant comorbidity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
- The presentation of TN in MS can vary, sometimes preceding the diagnosis of MS itself.
- Effective medical and surgical interventions are available for managing TN in the context of MS, leading to favorable outcomes.