Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Infections caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae were first described in 1985. The infection can cause common cold, sore throat, hoarseness, cough, headache, fatigue and sometimes influenza-like illness. Examination can indicate serous otitis media, sinusitis, laryngitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. The course can be long and relapsing. The recommended drugs for treatment are tetracycline or erythromycin for at least two weeks. Five verified cases are described in the article, four of them with symptoms from the upper respiratory tract only. It is concluded that Chlamydia pneumoniae is a not unusual cause of upper airway diseases. Up to now the diagnosis can best be verified by micro immunofluorescence. The authors call for a rapid and reliable test for use in physician's office. It is proposed that infections caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae be termed TWAR.
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PMID:[TWAR infection is a common diagnosis in outpatient clinics]. 157 35

Approximately 45% of benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors occur in the head and neck region. Of these, schwannomas (neurilemomas) arising from the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses account for less than 4%. Pathologic features of this subset are not well documented. We report a series of five cases of sinonasal schwannoma and one in the nasopharynx. The male-to-female ratio was equal, and the age at presentation ranged from 38 to 65 years of age (median, 52 yr). Four of the lesions were located within the nasal cavity, one arose from the maxillary sinus, and one originated in the nasopharynx, with extension into the Eustachian tube. Two cases showed local bony destruction, with intracranial extension. Presenting clinical symptoms included nasal obstruction, epistaxis, rhinorrhea, anosmia, facial swelling, headache, and serous otitis media; the two cases with intracranial spread also presented with visual disturbances. All of the six cases were treated by surgical excision. Clinical follow-up in five cases ranged from 6 to 48 months (median, 27 mo). Histologically, all of the lesions shared many cytomorphologic features common to schwannomas arising at other sites, and all of the six cases showed strong, diffuse immunoreactivity for S-100 protein. Four cases showed features of the cellular variant, and one showed focal granular cell change. An unusual and previously poorly documented histologic feature, distinct from schwannomas arising at most other anatomic sites, was a lack of encapsulation, which, when combined with hypercellularity, often raised suspicion of malignancy. Because none of the cases in this series has shown either local recurrence or postoperative metastasis to date, lack of encapsulation and locally destructive growth in an otherwise histologically typical schwannoma arising at this site should not suggest malignant potential.
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PMID:Schwannomas of the sinonasal tract and nasopharynx. 926 19

Isolated cases of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage with and without middle ear encephalocele have been reported. These leaks are usually accompanied by episodes of recurrent meningitis, hearing loss, or chronic headache. In this article, we report seven new cases of spontaneous CSF leakage. Six of these patients had conductive hearing loss and serous otitis media, and three had recurrent meningitis. Prior to a definitive diagnosis, six patients had received myringotomy tubes, which produced profuse clear otorrhea. Three patients had positive beta-2 transferrin assays. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed a defect in the temporal bone tegmen. A combined transmastoid and middle fossa surgical approach with a three-layer closure was used to repair the tegmen defect. All patients had a lumbar drain placed prior to surgery. In addition to describing the seven new cases, we review the history of CSF leakage and discuss diagnostic methods, surgical findings, and our recommendations for management.
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PMID:Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leakage and middle ear encephalocele in seven patients. 1083 3

Carcinomatous meningitis, also known as leptomeningeal metastasis and meningeal carcinomatosis, is the invasion of neoplastic cells into the leptomeninges. Head and neck cancers, especially nasopharyngeal carcinoma, give rise to carcinomatous meningitis very infrequently. In this case report, we present a rare case of carcinomatous meningitis with nasopharyngeal carcinoma as the primary source. In 1987, a 45-year-old white female presented with a few year history of chronic bilateral serous otitis media. She also complained of intermittent diplopia, right facial pain, right-sided headache, and, finally, right facial palsy. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma by biopsy and treated with radiation as well as chemotherapy. Her neurological symptoms improved, and she did fairly well for several years. However, various neurologic symptoms started to recur, including right facial weakness, right facial numbness in the distribution of all 3 divisions of cranial nerve (CN) V, loss of taste as well as smell, and diplopia. In 1993, magnetic resonance imaging scan of the head revealed recurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with involvement of the ethmoid sinuses as well as extension of the tumor into the frontotemporal leptomeninges. Over the course of the next 3 years, the patient experienced a very gradual decline with involvement of almost all of the CNs (CN I, II, III, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII). This case report of carcinomatous meningitis from primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma is one of the few reported in the literature. Although very rare, nasopharyngeal carcinoma can give rise to carcinomatous meningitis, probably by direct invasion of malignant cells. We also review the literature with respect to the diagnosis and treatment of carcinomatosis meningitis.
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PMID:Carcinomatous meningitis arising from primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma. 1585 76

Tolosa-Hunt syndrome is an idiopathic chronic granulomatous inflammatory process commonly involving the cavernous sinus and the orbit. Symptoms include unilateral eye pain, ophthalmoplegia, headache, and facial pain in the distribution of the upper divisions of the trigeminal nerve and are highly responsive to steroid therapy. Gradenigo syndrome describes extension of a middle ear infection to the petrous apex, with trigeminal pain and ophthalmoplegia, typically responsive to antibiotics and often surgical drainage. We report a case of a 17 year-old girl with apparent Gradenigo syndrome, presenting with unilateral eye pain, abducens palsy, headache, hearing loss and serous otitis media, who was ultimately diagnosed with Tolosa-Hunt syndrome.
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PMID:Tolosa-Hunt syndrome masquerading as Gradenigo syndrome in a teenager. 2368 66

Cranial radiation therapy (CRT) is used to treat a wide range of malignant and benign conditions and is associated with a unique set of risks and complications. Early complications from CRT include fatigue, skin reaction, alopecia, headaches, anorexia, nausea/vomiting, exacerbation of neurologic symptoms, serous otitis media, parotitis, and encephalopathy. Delayed complications include pseudoprogression, radiation necrosis, neurocognitive changes, cerebrovascular effects, migrainelike disorders, cataracts, xerophthalmia, optic neuropathy, hearing loss, tinnitus, chronic otitis, endocrinopathy, and secondary malignancy. This article presents an overview of clinically relevant neurologic complications for CRT, basic pathophysiology of radiation injury, and risk factors for neurologic complications.
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PMID:Neurologic Complications of Radiation Therapy. 3007 73

A 29-year-old female with past medical history of chronic serous otitis media presented with worsening neck stiffness and pain over a period of 2 weeks. The patient described non-specific symptoms that were localized to the right side of her neck. She presented to the hospital only when the pain was so extreme that it limited her range of motion. The differential for acute neck pain without fever, chills or any inciting trauma is vast. They include medical emergencies such as meningitis, acute coronary syndromes and extend to rheumatologic diseases or simply musculoskeletal strain. On review of systems, she denied dizziness, headache, vision changes, dysphagia, or other facial pain. Based on the severity of her pain, she underwent a Computed Tomography scan of the neck, which was concerning for erosive calavarial lesions. Further imaging revealed multiple lytic foci and erosions from the right maxillary sinus to the right mandible to the C1 vertebra. Following requisite surgical intervention, she was found to have Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a rare disease of myeloid cells, usually affecting pediatric populations. Little is known about the adult manifestations of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. This review contributes to broadening the literature on this topic which can present with complaints as typical as neck pain.
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PMID:Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Presenting as Progressively Worsening Neck Pain: A Case Report With a Review of Literature. 3169 99