Alexander Syndrome

Alexander Syndrome: Introduction

Alexander Syndrome: Alexander disease is a rare, genetic, degenerative disorder of the nervous system. It is one of a group of genetic disorders called the ... more about Alexander Syndrome.

Alexander Syndrome: Brain myelin disorder causing mental degeneration. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Alexander Syndrome is available below.

Symptoms of Alexander Syndrome

• Mental retardation
• Physical retardation
• Dementia
• Brain enlargement
• Head enlargement
• more symptoms...»

See full list of 23 symptoms of Alexander Syndrome

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Alexander Syndrome:

• Nerve Neuropathy: Related Home Testing:
  • Home Diabetes Test Kits
  • Home Blood Glucose Testing Kits
• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Related Home Testing:
  • ADHD -- Home Tests
  • Drug Screening Kits
• more tests...»

Alexander Syndrome: Complications

Review possible medical complications related to Alexander Syndrome:

• Death occurs usually by 5th year #for juvenile form's of the disease
• Thromboembolism
• more complications...»

Medical Textbooks Online about Alexander Syndrome

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Alexander Syndrome?

• Misdiagnosis of Alexander Syndrome
• Failure to diagnose Alexander Syndrome
• Undiagnosed: Alexander Syndrome

Alexander Syndrome: Self Assessment Tools

• Stroke -- Self Assessment Tools
• more tools...»

Alexander Syndrome: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers

Products, offers and promotion categories available for Alexander Syndrome:

• Stroke
• Brain
• more product offers...»

Alexander Syndrome: Undiagnosed Conditions

Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Undiagnosed:
  • Adult ADHD -- Undiagnosed - ADHD can be undiagnosed in adults.
  • ADHD -- Undiagnosed
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Undiagnosed
  • Migraine -- Undiagnosed
  • Concentration Disorders -- Undiagnosed
  • Stroke -- Undiagnosed
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Undiagnosed
  • Schizophrenia -- Undiagnosed
  • Epilepsy -- Undiagnosed
• more undiagnosed conditions...»

Misdiagnosis and Alexander Syndrome

Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness because he suffered from sudden inability to speak. This was initially...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions, such as a ...read more »

Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms of severe brain injury are hard to miss, it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those causing a mild concussion diagnosis. The condition goes by...read more »

MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked. This is particularly true of mild traumatic brain injury...read more »

Brain pressure condition often misdiagnosed as dementia: A condition that results from an excessive pressure of CSF within the brain is often misdiagnosed. It may be misdiagnosed as ...read more »

Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers,...read more »

Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see symptoms of multiple sclerosis)....read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Alexander Syndrome

Alexander Syndrome: Research Doctors & Specialists

Research related physicians and medical specialists:

• Nerve Specialists:
  • Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine
  • Neurology (Brain/CNS Specialists)
  • Pediatric Neurology (Child Brain Specialist)
  • Spinal Cord Injury Medicine
• Neurology (Brain/CNS Specialists):
  • Pediatric Neurosurgery (Child Neurosurgeon)
  • Clinical Neurophysiology
  • Neurodevelopment Disabilities
  • Neurosurgery (Brain Surgery)
  • Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (Nerve/Muscle/Bone Specialists)
  • Neuroradiology
  • Vascular Neurology
  • Neuropathology
  • Otology / Neurotology (Ear/Hearing Specialists)
• Stroke & Vascular Specialists:
  • Vascular Neurology (Brain Blood Vessels)
  • Vascular & Interventional Radiology
  • Vascular Surgery (Blood Vessel Surgeon)
  • Neuropathology (Brain Diagnostics)
• more specialists...»

Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:

• Rate Your Doctor Online
• Research Your Doctor Online
• Review Patient Surveys About Your Doctor
• Research local specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

Alexander Syndrome: Rare Types

Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Rare Types:
  • Adult ADHD -- Rare Types
  • ADHD -- Rare Types
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Rare Types
  • Migraine -- Rare Types
  • Concentration Disorders -- Rare Types
  • Stroke -- Rare Types
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Rare Types
  • Schizophrenia -- Rare Types
  • Epilepsy -- Rare Types
• more rare diseases...»

Causes of Alexander Syndrome

Read more about causes of Alexander Syndrome.

Treatments for Alexander Syndrome

• Symptomatic and supportive treatments
• more treatments...»

Read more about treatments for Alexander Syndrome

News Archives for Alexander Syndrome

Medical news articles related to Alexander Syndrome include:

• Rapid Weight Loss in Seniors Signals Higher Dementia Risk
• Biomarkers May Help Measure Rate of Decline in Dementia
• Drink Away Dementia?
• Painkillers May Not Protect Against Dementia
• Secondhand Smoke Linked to Dementia
• Cognitive Score Changes Over Time May Hint at Dementia
• Dementia Underestimated in Developing Countries
• Antipsychotics Dangerous for Elderly With Dementia
• more health news...»

Source: HealthDay News

Videos for Alexander Syndrome

Patient Surveys for Alexander Syndrome

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Alexander Syndrome
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for Alexander Syndrome

Prognosis for Alexander Syndrome: Poor. Life-shortening. Children often die before 6 years.

More about prognosis of Alexander Syndrome

Statistics for Alexander Syndrome

• Medical statistics for Alexander Syndrome
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Alexander Syndrome
• Death and Mortality statistics for Alexander Syndrome
• Society statistics for Alexander Syndrome

Alexander Syndrome: Broader Related Topics

• Leukodystrophy
• Brain conditions
• Genetic Disease
• Spinal Cord Disorders
• more types...»

Types of Alexander Syndrome

Types of Alexander Syndrome

• Infantile Alexander Syndrome - most common form
• Juvenile Alexander Syndrome
• Adult-onset Alexander Syndrome
• more types...»

Read more about Types of Alexander Syndrome

Stories from Users Related to Alexander Syndrome

• If not dementia then what?
• Insomnia Since Infancy
• Dementia
• Leukodystrophy
• Chrohn's Disease and dementia

Related forums and medical stories:

• Brain Conditions (246)
  • arachnoid cyst
  • Pain/Pressure in back of head when I laugh
  • Fluid running down back of my head feeling
  • "ice Pick" Headaches
  • vertigo + other symptoms
  • More user stories

User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Alexander Syndrome, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Alexander Syndrome

Alexander disease is a rare, genetic, degenerative disorder of the nervous system. It is one of a group of genetic disorders called the leukodystrophies that affect growth of the myelin sheath — the fatty covering which acts as an insulator — on nerve fibers in the brain. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Alexander Disease Information Page: NINDS)

Definitions of Alexander Syndrome:

A rare inherited disorder of myelin formation. Alexander disease is a progressive leukoencephalopathy whose hallmark is the widespread accumulation of cytoplasmic inclusions called Rosenthal fibers. The fibers contain GLIAL FIBRILLARY ACIDIC PROTEIN in association with ALPHA-CRYSTALLIN B CHAIN. Rosenthal fibers are found predominantly in ASTROCYTES located in the subependymal, subpial, and periventricular areas of the BRAIN. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Alexander Syndrome is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Alexander Syndrome, or a subtype of Alexander Syndrome, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Alexander Syndrome as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet