According to the World Health Organization, neurological disorders have affected up to a billion people around the world. Speaking specifically, nearly 50 million people suffer from epilepsy and around 24 million suffer from a form of dementia.
Neurological disorders affect people across all age groups, genders, ethnicities and income levels. Over 6 million people die each year from neurological complications.
For patients having neurological conditions, access to top-notch healthcare can become a challenge. The need for qualified doctors in treating these conditions is rising each day. In order to explore this evolving field and to learn what neurology is, let us read more in order to discover what this field is and why it is in so much demand.
Neurology – An introduction
Neurology is that field of medicine which manages problems and conditions within the nervous system. It includes the blood vessels, neurons, muscles, brain and the spinal cord. Physicians researching, diagnosing and treating these conditions are known as neurologists.
Since the brain controls nearly each and every function within the human body, it is a primary focal point within the field. Physicians working here aim to diagnose, treat and cure neurological conditions, disorders and diseases, but are also concerned with improving the quality of life for patients having impaired brain function due to an injury or as a side effect of a neurological condition.
What does a neurologist do for work?
Like other physicians, neurologists are also focusing primarily on diagnosing and treating diseases. For neurologists, these diseases are limited to those that affect the nervous system. They can work directly with patients in a healthcare setup, perform studies on diseases in a research capacity, and/or manage neurology departments and teams in an administrative capacity.
When neurologists work with patients, they will visit them, order tests, perform skilled methods, consult with other physicians, and document paperwork. The work is different, complicated, yet also dynamic and quite rewarding.
How can people become neurologists?
In college undergraduate work, a student can start the path to be going towards becoming a certified neurologist through completion of an undergraduate program (a pre-med/bachelor’s degree in a related field) despite the fact that such is sort of an optional requirement for a career in neurology.
Aspiring neurologists need to be accepted into medical school and complete a preparatory program to be accredited medical school (Caribbean medical university school of medicine). Students should also start making connections with teachers and others who are experienced in the field early in their academic programs.
Why so? Because this helps them during the competitive residency matching process. Exploring different career pathways neurology has and that too early helps identify specialties of interests and thus creates a pathway towards achieving targeted career goals.
The education and training needed to become a neurologist
In order to become a neurologist, students must complete 4 years of undergraduate studies followed by 4 years of medical school. After graduating medical school, students will usually complete a 1-year internship followed by 3 years in a neurology residency program.
Numerous neurologists will also choose to complete a fellowship in their chosen subspecialty area, and fellowships typically last one or two years.
Specializations of neurology
Once med students specialize in neurology, they can also hence choose one of several official subspecialties recognized by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME):
Brain injury medicine
Neurologists specializing in brain injury medicine support patients who are living with traumatic brain injuries. The care provided to patients suffering from such injuries medical, physical, psychosocial and vocational needs.
Clinical Neurophysiology
Using specific computer, electrical and magnetic imaging tools, neurologists in this specialty diagnose and treat specific neurological disorders like ALS or Parkinson’s disease.
Endovascular Surgical Neuroradiology
In this subspecialty, tools such as x-ray fluoroscopy and angiography are used as methods of interventional treatments in diagnosing and treating a wide variety of neurovascular diseases.
Epilepsy
These neurological specialists focus on treating adults and children with seizures and disorders due to seizures.
Neurodevelopmental disabilities
This pediatric subspecialty of neurology helps in training physicians to diagnose and treat cognitive developmental disorders in children like autism, learning disabilities, and disorders of emotion and behavior.
Neuromuscular medicine
These neurological specialists diagnose and treat muscle and joint pain issues. They also treat diseases affecting the nerves, muscles and joints.
Pain medicine
These specialists work with patients who are suffering from chronic or acute pain as a result of neurological diseases.
Sleep medicine
As the brain controls sleep functions, some neurologists select this in order to subspecialize in sleep medicine and studying disorders affecting sleep cycles to find the best treatment.
Vascular neurology
Vascular specialists care for patients with conditions affecting the blood vessels in the brain and the spinal cord, like aneurysms or strokes.
Being a neurologist – What is it like?
In order to be successful in this field, neurologists should be patient, caring, dedicated, disciplined, and adaptable. Since a lot of the diseases they treat do not have definitive procedures for diagnosis and treatment, they work with patients and the process is quite a long one.
There is a fortunate element i.e. the same obscurity can help open the door for amazing breakthroughs and advancements in this field.
Diseases and conditions treated by neurologists
Neurologists can diagnose and treat a wide array of disorders and diseases of the nervous system. Some of these conditions can be diagnosed with concrete genetic or biological testing, while other conditions must be diagnosed through a combination of process of elimination and symptom evaluation.
Some of the most common treated by neurologists include:
- Cerebral palsy.
- Neuropathy.
- Migraines.
- Dementia.
- Epilepsy.
- Strokes.
- Myasthenia gravis.
- Muscular Dystrophy.
- Multiple Sclerosis.
- Alzheimer’s disease.
- Parkinson’s disease.
- Tumors or injuries of the brain and spinal cord.
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The tests and procedures they recommend
In order to aid in the diagnosis of neurological diseases, neurologists are trained to carry out different types of tests and procedures that are specific to the field of neurology. Some diseases can be diagnosed through tests performed on either blood or urine samples. At times, more advanced procedures for diagnosis are required.
Some of the most common procedures a neurologist may perform include:
Lumbar Puncture
This is a spinal tap, neurologists use this procedure to diagnose conditions that can be detected from the spinal fluid. During the procedure, a neurologist inserts a needle between two of the lower vertebrae to draw a sample of the fluid in the spinal column. This test can help detect conditions such as meningitis, multiple sclerosis or brain cancer.
Angiography
A combination of contrast due and x-ray imaging are used in this procedure to identify malformed or blocked arteries or veins within the nervous system.
Electroencephalogram (ECG)
Here, electrodes are attached along with the scalp to monitor functions of brain waves. This procedure is relatively painless and is used to diagnose issues like migraine, migraine induced headaches, seizure disorders and sleeping issues.
Electromyography (EMG)
Here, neurologists attach electrodes to the skin or insert fine needles in muscles to monitor muscular function. This test is used to reveal nerve damage, muscle dysfunction and vice versa.
Sleep study
Specialists specializing neurological sleep can use a sleep study to evaluating disorders such as sleep apnea. An EEG monitors brain function when studying sleep disorders and also checks sleep cycles. Whereas, other sensors detect eye movement, breathing rates, snoring and other body movements.
