Neurology Mystery?
Posted , 3 users are following.
Symptoms
My brother is a 26 year old, generally healthy male. Early This year he started to get forgetful, which got worse over the coming months. He began getting confused at simple tasks, forgetting his route home, which he had travelled for years. Then his speech started to be affected, he started to stutter when speaking and the GP diagnosed him with Depression and put him on anti-depressants.
Since then he has been hospitalised, is now unable to speak (he does say odd words but stutters the rest of the sentence), he his getting confused about his current surroundings, losing control of his bladder function and seems to have lost the ability to read/write.
His condition, whatever it is seems to be deteriorating at a rapid rate and after a number of tests detailed below we still have no idea what is wrong him.
Tests
2 x MRI scan over a 2 month period
CT Scan
Lumbar Puncture (clear liquid, initial tests reported nothing unusual)
EEG Scan (performed by Walton hospital, waiting on results)
Number of blood tests
Results So far
The only things that have shown on the brain scans so far have shown that he has a few dead brain cells (which is apparently normal) and his brain has shrunk slightly since his last scan a month ago.
He has also been diagnosed with MRSA (the hospital bug) recently and been placed in his own room on the ward.
We are still waiting on further results from the lumbar puncture, which have been sent to Scotland for further analysis.
Does anyone have any ideas what his condition could be? are they doing the right tests? missed any?
Any help would be appreciated
0 likes, 9 replies
Sootywillow martin11232
Posted
I am probably completely off the mark but I just wondered whether this could be Pick's disease? The only way of telling would be by brain biopsy otherwise it will be a diagnoses of exclusion. However this disease is very rare and I'm sure it won't be the problem here - I just thought I'd raise it so you could raise it with your brother's neurologist and be reassured this is not what is going on.
Kind regards
martin11232 Sootywillow
Posted
Thanks for your reply. Some of the symptoms do seem similar (memory loss, speech) but his personality hasn't changed and it has all happened over a very short time. I will mention this to the specialists and see what they say.
He is still undergoing tests and the Dr's are trying to do a good job, I'm just concerned that we haven't even diagnosed the issue yet never mind started treatment and his condition is deteriorating quickly.
Sootywillow martin11232
Posted
There are different forms of the disease and one is a language variant form of frontotemporal dementia. Here the changes in character do not materialise until later in the disease's progression. I believe urinary incontinence is also a symptom.
I doubt this is relevant but I know how frustrating it is getting an answer from doctors and so it might just be worth mentioning this as a possibility.
lynne69494 martin11232
Posted
The mrsa will be adding to his symptoms and lack of responses, and he,s not likely to improve till they get on top of that, but if he,s not in ic unit that should mean he,s not too severely affected with mrsa. You could try symptom checker, long shot, but l know that you must be desperate for answers and treatment to help him.l hope you get some soon, best wishes for him and family.
Sootywillow martin11232
Posted
Any news on your brother? I hope they've made progress in getting to the bottom of what the problem is do they can provide some assistance in making him feel better?
I do hope you've had some good news.
martin11232 Sootywillow
Posted
We have had some news... not great though.
At the minute they are still not sure what the problem is exactly. they have said currently they are testing for small tumours that wouldnt show on the scan and CJD (which has no cure). other than that they said they may need to perform a biopsy on the brain and see what that shows.
We've been advised that current tests being performed by labs in Scotland and Oxford will take around two weeks, so we are just waiting around at the moment and hoping its something simpler / less dangerous than the options provided.
Thanks for following up with it Sooty
Sootywillow martin11232
Posted
I've been wondering about your brother and hoping there is some good news as he is so young and what you've described sounds heart breaking. Have the Drs figured out what's going on? I'm really hoping it can't be CJD if his personality hasn't changed.
SW
martin11232
Posted
Sootywillow martin11232
Posted
Really sorry to hear that there's been no positive progress and your poor brother's condition has deteriorated. I can't imagine what your brother and family are going through with this period of uncertainty. I would have thought the Drs would have come up with a diagnosis by now.