ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To study the clinical and radiological spectrum of neurocysticercosis in the Uttaranchal region. METHODS: A total of 592 patients of neurocysticercosis attending various health camps, medical outdoor and indoor department were studied for their clinical and radiological presentation. RESULTS: Out of the total 15,000 patients screened, 592 patients (3.94%) were found to be suffering from neurocysticercosis. Majority of them were in the age group of 21-30 years. Most of them presented with generalized seizures (62.5%), others had headache (37.5%), focal seizures (20.8%), localizing neurological signs (16.6%), meningitis (4.1%), and dementia (1.3%). Radiologically, parenchymal lesions were most prevalent (81%). However, interventricular lesions were also not very uncommon (32%). Most of them had single lesions (53.5%), 26.7% had multiple lesions and 0.7% had midline shift. Significantly, large number of patients were vegetarians (39%); only 17.6% were pork eaters while the remaining 82.4% never had pork in their meals. CONCLUSION: We believe that such high percentage is at least a rough indicator of high incidence and prevalence of neurocysticercosis in the Uttaranchal region. They had wide range of clinical and radiological presentation. Small number of pork eaters and a significant number of vegetarians suggest other modes of transmission and needs further evaluation.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Age Distribution , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Endemic Diseases , Female , Humans , India/epidemiology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Neurocysticercosis/classification , Seizures/etiologyABSTRACT
3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl ethylene glycol (DOPEG), a metabolite of noradrenaline (NA), was estimated in CSF of 30 patients of depression diagnosed by the criteria of American Psychiatric Association in DSM-III; and compared with levels in 10 non-depressed individuals who served as controls. Mean DOPEG levels in CSF in the patient group (801.37 +/- 28.09 micrograms/l) were significantly higher (P less than 0.01) than those in the control group (724.3 +/- 34.62 micrograms/l). Formation of excessive amount of this particular metabolite suggests an excessive intraneuronal deamination of NA, partially accounting for the overall decline in the availability of NA in the noradrenergic neurons in patients of depression.