Arachnoiditis is a neuropathic disease, which occurs due to inflammation to the arachnoid. Arachoid is one of the membranes, which cover and protect the nerves in the central nervous system. It is also present in the important parts of the central nervous system as brain and spinal chord. Though it is one of the rare diseases, it occurs frequently in the world.
There are several reasons, which can give rise to the inflammation in the arachoid and therefore the arachoiditis. Chemicals are among the common reasons for arachnoiditis. The toxic chemicals damage the arachnoid and therefore give rise to arachnoiditis. Steroids also are among the toxic chemicals, which can cause arachnoiditis. Some infections of bacteria and viruses may affect the arachnoid. Physical damage in the form of an injury, chronic compression in the spinal nerves, or it can also develop because of complications of a spinal surgery.
Arachnoiditis gives rise to several symptoms. Pain is very common. It can be chronic as well. The chronic pain is usually associated with neuralgia. As the spinal chord too is affected because of this disease, the symptoms will include tingling and numbness in the extremities. This too has a common occurrence in the patients.
The spinal chord is involved in different functions of the body. Therefore, arachnoiditis can affect them as well. For example the bowel sexual, bladder functions, can be affected. However, there is no consistency in the symptoms. The nerves of different parts of the body are affected and therefore the symptoms can arise in any of these parts. The most commonly affected parts are legs and lower part of back.
Prognosis is different for arachnoiditis as there is no correlation between the surfacing of the symptoms and the start of the disease. Moreover, no sure cure over arachnoiditis is available at this moment. The thing that can be done is relieve the patient from the symptoms. The pain, which is a common symptom, is severe in most of the cases and therefore pain relief is a very important.
Surgery is used for pain relief, which involves the correction of the affected arachnoid. However, surgery provides temporary relief. Today medications as well are not available. Steroids may have been useful in reducing the inflammation. However, as they are one of the factors, which can give rise to this condition, they are avoided.
Currently research is going on and it is hopped that shortly some relief for arachnoiditis will be available.