Multiple sclerosis as first manifestation in oral and facial area: presentation of four cases.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, whose etiology is unknown, and which is characteristic by the appearance of a diverse neurological symptomatology consisting of outbreaks or gradual deterioration and lesions in any location of the brain s white matter which may provoke the after-effect of a definitive demyelination of the area. The disease affects young people, with its appearance being most frequent between 20 and 40 years of age, in temperate and cold climates, and with a man-woman rate of 0.46/0.67. The magnitude of this disease lies in the fact that it is the primary cause for permanent disablement among young adults. We are presenting 4 cases of MS whose initial symptom of the disease was the appearance of paraesthesia in the maxillofacial area, affecting one or more ramifications of the trigeminal nerve, and a progression time varying from 15 days to one year. All the patients were clinically diagnosed, with their diagnostics being confirmed both with magnetic resonance imaging as well as through the study of their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the evoked potentials (EPs). Manifestations in the oral and facial area were the first manifestation of the disease in all cases.

Esclerosis multiple como primera manifestacion en el territorio oral y facial: Presentación de cuatro casos / Multiple sclerosis as first manifestation in oral and facial area: Presentation of four cases

La esclerosis múltiple (EM) es una enfermedad inflamatoria crónica del sistema nervioso central de etiología no conocida caracterizada por la aparición de sintomatologia neurológica diversa en forma de brotes o de deterioro progresivo y de lesiones en cualquier localización de la sustancia blanca cerebral que pueden dejar como secuelas la desmielinización definitiva de la zona. Esta enfermedad afecta a gente joven siendo más frecuente su aparición entre los 20 y 40 años, en climas templados y fríos y con una relación hombre-mujer de 0,46 / 0,67. La importancia de esta enfermedad radica en que es la primera causa de invalidez permanente en adultos jóvenes. Presentamos 4 casos de EM cuyo síntoma de inicio de la enfermedad fue la aparición de parestesias en el territorio maxilo-facial afectando a una o más ramas del trigémino y de tiempo de evolución que oscilaba entre 15 días y un año. Todos los pacientes fueron diagnosticados clínicamente siendo confirmado el diagnostico, tanto con la resonancia magnética como con el estudio del liquido cefalorraquídeo (LC) y los potenciales evocados(PE). Las manifestaciones en el territorio oral y facial fueron la primera manifestación de la enfermedad en todos los casos

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, whose etiology is unknown, and which is characteristic by the appearance of a diverse neurological symptomatology consisting of outbreaks or gradual deterioration and lesions in any location of the brain’s white matter which may provoke the after-effect of a definitive demyelination of the area. The disease affects young people, with its appearance being most frequent between 20 and 40 years of age, in temperate and cold climates, and with a man-woman rate of 0.46 / 0.67. The magnitude of this disease lies in the fact that it is the primary cause for permanent disablement among young adults. We are presenting 4 cases of MS whose initial symptom of the disease was the appearance of paraesthesia in the maxillofacial area, affecting one or more ramifications of the trigeminal nerve, and a progression time varying from 15 days to one year. All the patients were clinically diagnosed, with their diagnostics being confirmed both with magnetic resonance imaging as well as through the study of their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the Evoked potentials ( EPs). Manifestations in the oral and facial area were the first manifestation of the disease in all cases