Degenerative conditions affect a big percentage of the world population. From degenerative spine diseases to a variety of neurological conditions with a generative cause, millions of men and women all over the planet seek medical assistance. Hundreds of such conditions have been discovered over the past centuries.
The same number is likely to be unknown. Degenerative conditions have a tendency to develop without symptoms for a long while before being diagnosed. Scientists all over the world are working hard to discover methods to diagnose some of the most complex degenerative conditions before symptoms become obvious enough for the patient to start worrying.
What Is a Degenerative Condition?
A degenerative condition is a disease, during the course of which the function or the structure of the affected parts of the body becomes worse over time. Cancer, osteoporosis, Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease are the most common examples of such a condition.
In some countries, degenerative conditions are considered one of the top causes of death. When patients suffer from a degenerative condition, their tissues and/or organs deteriorate with time. Many of these disorders are associated with aging. Even though they may start when the person is still young, as time passes, the diseases progress and start causing problems. When creating a simple degenerative condition definition, it’s possible to classify the diseases into three groups:
- Cardiovascular
- Neoplastic
- Nervous system
When it comes to cardiovascular conditions, the most common of them are hypertension, myocardial function, and coronary disease. The most common neoplastic disorder is cancer. Other types of tumors are also sometimes classified as a neoplastic disorder since they can have a deteriorating effect on tissues. The most widespread nervous system degenerations are Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
It’s hard to pinpoint the most common factors that cause degenerative disorders. Some of these diseases start when there is physical damage done to the body. Others are the result of regular wear and tear a body takes while aging. Others yet are induced by an unhealthy lifestyle and poor health maintenance. The causes for a few of them are yet to be discovered.
What Are The Causes of Degenerative Conditions?
Even though hundreds of degenerative conditions have been identified, the causes for some of them are still unclear. With technologies taking big steps forward every day in such niches as genetics, biochemistry, and cell biology, scientists have a chance of identifying the majority of causes in the nearest future. What we know today is that several similarities exist between different degenerative conditions. All of the affected cells contain abnormal proteins.
- Cancer – caused by abnormal cells growing rapidly, multiplying, and spreading through the body. The reason why these abnormal cells appear is still mostly a mystery.
- Parkinson’s disease – abnormally functioning neurons lead to the loss of muscle control. However, the reason why neurons become abnormal is yet to be discovered.
- Alzheimer’s disease – impairs higher intellectual functions. However, the reasons and causes of its appearance are still unknown.
- Metabolic syndrome – a collection of different conditions, which cause cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. While the causes are mostly known, this degenerative condition still affects almost a quarter of the US population.
What Are the Symptoms of Degenerative Conditions?
Symptoms of degenerative conditions vary. Some of these diseases may not have any symptoms during the early stages of development, which makes them hard to diagnose. For example, malignant tumors often don’t produce any symptoms until growing too large to be treated.
- Cancer – headaches, fatigue, nausea, hard-to-heal sores, infections, persistent fever.
- Alzheimer’s disease – memory loss, problems with performing standard tasks, confusing time and locations, misplacing things, mood changes.
- Parkinson’s disease – this degenerative neurological condition causes rigid muscles, slow movements, problems with writing and speech, tremors, balance problems.
- Degenerative spinal condition – mostly known as a degenerative disc condition or degenerative condition of the vertebrae involves low-grade pain, which surrounds the affected disc. The slight, bearable pain can turn into a severe flare-up from time to time. Other symptoms are muscle pain, muscle spasm, pain reduction with the change of position, pain when doing activities that involve twisting the spine.
- Degenerative muscle condition – neuromuscular disorders include muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, spinal muscular atrophy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Common symptoms are muscle pain and stiffness, difficulty performing physical activities, behavioral problems, learning difficulties.
- Degenerative eye condition (macular degeneration) – blurred eyesight with a spot in the middle of the vision, decreased vision resolution, changed color perception, dark areas in the center of vision.
- Degenerative condition of the liver (fatty liver disease)– fatigue, pain on the right side of the abdomen, enlarged blood vessels right beneath the skin, yellowing of eyes and skin, red palms. A chronic degenerative condition of the liver can cause abdominal swelling and cirrhosis.
- Osteoporosis – this disease covers degenerative diseases of bones and joints. Highly common occurrences are degenerative hip conditions, degenerative knee conditions, and degenerative shoulder conditions. Other common body parts to suffer from osteoporosis are wrists and back. Symptoms include back pain, frequent fractures, and poor posture.
- Degenerative heart condition (congestive heart failure) – can be caused by the deterioration of the tissue. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, decreased exercise capacity.
- Metabolic Syndrome – high blood sugar, blurred vision, large waist circumference, fatigue, increased thirst and urination.
How Can You Treat A Degenerative Condition?
Not all degenerative conditions have a cure. The majority of symptoms have better chances of being eliminated or alleviated if the condition is discovered early. For example, some types of cancer can be cured. Meanwhile, the cure of neurological degenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s is yet to be discovered.
If the condition can’t be cured, the treatment focuses on alleviating the symptoms and trying to improve the quality of the patient’s life as much as possible. Treating degenerative conditions or managing their symptoms doesn’t always involve taking medications. Most people require a careful approach to lifestyle and diet changes. Patients who exercise regularly and switch to a healthier diet often experience improvements in their condition.
Why It Matters
Metabolic syndrome and other degenerative conditions affect millions of people around the world. Some of them are hard to diagnose before they become tough to treat. It’s important to learn as much information as possible about these conditions. If you notice any of the above-mentioned symptoms, it’s vital to contact your physician immediately to prevent complications.