Top of page
Health

Brain disorder leaves lasting legacy of disability, study finds

Four out of five people with a hidden brain condition that causes limb weakness or paralysis experience lasting physical difficulties.

Research to assess long-term effects of the disorder, called Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), found 80 per cent of patients still had symptoms in their arms and legs 14 years after initial diagnosis.

Experts, who tracked outcomes of more than 100 patients, hope the study – the largest of its kind – will help doctors provide realistic prognoses in future and encourage more work on treatment.

In their initial studies 14 years ago, researchers found that FND is as common and disabling as better known conditions, such as multiple sclerosis. It has, however, suffered from stigma because it cannot be seen on conventional brain scans.

Doctors often describe it as a ‘software’ problem of the brain rather than a ‘hardware’ one – a condition related to how the brain processes information rather than a physical defect in its structure.

Read the full story

You might also like

Medicine Medicine

Medicaid cuts tied to higher death rates, study finds

A new analysis provides evidence that reductions in access to…

man holding his painful knee man holding his painful knee

Study reveals hundreds of genetic connections to osteoarthritis

Over 900 genetic links to osteoarthritis, including 500 that have…

Medicine Medicine

Urgent change needed to reduce deaths from malaria and meningitis

Results of two parallel studies show that one in four…

Woman lying in bed with open eyes Woman lying in bed with open eyes

Insomnia and sleep medication use connected to disability in older people

Insomnia is a significant health and quality of life concern…