(By Iman Moshaya)
Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a chronic pain disorder that causes intense pain attacks in your face. It’s a disorder of the trigeminal nerve. It causes episodes of intense facial pain that can disrupt your everyday activities. The disorder is sometimes broken down into two types. TN
Type 1 involves sudden, fierce, electric shock-like pain, while Type 2 presents a more constant, dull, or burning ache. Both types can co-occur in some individuals, and the pain can be very disabling and can have a profound effect on the person's quality of life.
What causes TN?
In most cases, TN develops due to a blood vessel pressing against the trigeminal nerve. This compression may damage the nerve and cause excess bursts of neurological activity. Another cause is when another condition damages or affects your trigeminal nerve, like multiple sclerosis or a tumor. Additionally, doctors diagnose idiopathic TN when there’s no clear cause of your facial pain after doing diagnostic tests.
What are the symptoms?
•Sudden, severe facial pain: This is the main symptom of trigeminal neuralgia. The pain is often described as Sharp, shooting, or stabbing, like an electric shock, intense, and excruciating. •Short duration of pain episodes: episodes normally only last a few seconds or minutes. •Triggers: Certain activities or sensations, such as Touching the face, chewing, talking, and brushing teeth, can trigger pain episodes.
•Anxiety and fear: The anticipation of pain can lead to anxiety and fear, which can worsen the condition.
Risk factors:
• High blood pressure.
• Smoking.
• Aging.
• Female sex.
• Having a biological family history of TN.
How is TN treated?
Medications such as carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine can block pain signals and can help manage pain for most people in the early stages of TN. However, their effectiveness can decrease over time.
A doctor may consider surgeries such as microvascular decompression, which involves relieving pressure from blood vessels that are pressing against your trigeminal nerve if medication doesn’t work. Other surgeries include radio surgery, rhizotomy, and peripheral neurectomy.
References:
Cleveland Clinic 2024:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15671-trigeminal-neuralgia-tn#management-and-t reatment
National Organisation for Rare Disorders 2014:
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