]> Subscribe to the latest AAN Guideline as soon as it is published. http://www.aan.com/rss/?event=feed&channel=16 en ababb@aan.com kwiersma@aan.com Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:32:17 GMT Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:30:09 GMT AXON RSS Extension http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss ababb@aan.com Channel Feedback http://www.aan.com/rss/?event=feed&channel=16 http://www.aan.com/rss/images/channels/channel_16_s.jpg 144 144 Subscribe to the latest AAN Guideline as soon as it is published. false 1 http://www.aan.com/rss/index.cfm/getfile/AAN_94.pdf Media Contacts: Angela Babb, ababb@aan.com, (651) 695-2789 Rachel Seroka, rseroka@aan.com, (651) 695-2738 AAN Launches New Book Series to Help Patients and Caregivers ST. PAUL, Minn. - Following up on the success of Neurology Now®, the free and award-winning patient and caregiver magazine of the American Academy of Neurology, the Academy has announced plans to launch a new series of books for neurology patients and caregivers in 2009 to be called Neurology Now Books™. The Academy has expanded its publishing division, AAN Press, to publish this new book series. Titles planned to publish in the Neurology Now Books™ series include coping with multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, and taste and smell disorders in the first year. A fourth publication is also planned for late next year. "With one in six people now affected by a neurologic disorder, there's tremendous demand for the latest information on how to best meet the needs of this fast-growing population of patients and caregivers. Neurology Now Books™ will fulfill this growing demand," said Lisa M. Shulman, MD, Editor of Neurology Now Books™, and a neurologist with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "With the experience the Academy has had in publishing Neurology Now® magazine, it's sought to advance patient care and has developed an appreciation for the needs and concerns of neurology patients and caregivers. Neurology Now Books™ will continue to further our mission of improving patient care and public understanding of disorders of the brain and nervous system," said Shulman. Each issue of Neurology Now® magazine reaches nearly one million readers. It is the only consumer magazine in the country devoted to the management of the range of neurologic disorders. The magazine offers information on treatment and cutting-edge research for such neurologic disorders as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, migraine, Parkinson's disease and more. For information on receiving a free subscription to Neurology Now® magazine, visit www.neurologynow.com. AAN Press through Demos Medical Publishing published an earlier series of books for neurology patients and caregivers that will continue to be available for purchase via the AAN Store™. Other AAN Press publications are Neurology®, the most widely read and highly cited peer-reviewed neurology journal, Neurology Now® magazine, and Neurology Today®. The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com. http://www.aan.com/rss/index.cfm/getfile/AAN_94.pdf ababb@aan.com Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:04:51 GMT 1 http://www.aan.com/rss/index.cfm/getfile/AAN_1823.pdf New guidelines developed by the American Academy of Neurology find a combination of blood tests and other specialized assessments appear to be the most helpful tests for finding the cause of neuropathy. Also known as neuritis or distal symmetric polyneuropathy, this common nerve problem affects people of all ages. The guidelines are published in the December 3, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Neuropathy affects one in 50 people in the general population and one in 12 over the age of 55. It usually causes numbness, tingling or pain, often starting in the feet and moving to the hands. Symptoms spread slowly and evenly up the legs and arms. Muscle wasting and weakness can also occur. Neuropathy takes many forms and has many causes. The most common cause is diabetes. Other common causes are heredity, alcohol abuse, poor nutrition and autoimmune processes. Not all of the causes are known. "There are many people with a neuropathy who have been walking around for years without having been diagnosed and treated," said guidelines author John D. England, MD, Chairman of the Department of Neurology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "Both neurologists and people with neuropathy need to know that the appropriate choice of tests is critical to accurate diagnosis." To develop the guidelines, the authors analyzed all available scientific studies on the topic. The guidelines recommend that doctors obtain certain blood tests for all patients with numb, painful feet. "People with suspected nerve problems should talk to their doctors about screening tests, especially blood glucose, vitamin B12 level and serum protein levels, since these tests can often point to common causes of neuropathy," said England. The guidelines recommend tailored genetic testing for accurately diagnosing certain neuropathies that run in families. The guidelines further recommend that doctors consider a combination of specialized tests to accurately evaluate neuropathies with autonomic dysfunction. These tests, known as autonomic tests, measure the action of the tiny nerves that control such functions as sweating, heart rate and blood pressure. Skin biopsy may also be useful to diagnose loss of tiny nerve fibers in the skin. The guidelines were developed in full collaboration with the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system, such as neuropathy, epilepsy, dystonia, migraine, Huntington's disease and dementia. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com. http://www.aan.com/rss/index.cfm/getfile/AAN_1823.pdf ababb@aan.com Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:00:00 GMT 1 http://www.aan.com/rss/index.cfm/getfile/AAN_1900.pdf New guidelines developed by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society show it's relatively safe for women with epilepsy to become pregnant, but caution must be taken, including avoiding one particular epilepsy drug that can cause birth defects. The guidelines are published in the April 27, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, and will be presented April 27, 2009, at the Academy's Annual Meeting in Seattle. The guidelines recommend women with epilepsy avoid taking the drug valproate during pregnancy. "Good evidence shows that valproate is linked to an increased risk for fetal malformations and decreased thinking skills in children, whether used by itself or with other medications," said lead guideline author Cynthia Harden, MD, Director of the Epilepsy Division at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine and member of the American Academy of Neurology. The guidelines also suggest, if possible, women with epilepsy should not take more than one epilepsy drug at a time during pregnancy since taking more than one seizure drug has also been found to increase the risk of birth defects compared to taking only one medication. "Overall, what we found should be very reassuring to every woman with epilepsy planning to become pregnant," said Harden. "These guidelines show that women with epilepsy are not at a substantially increased risk of having a Cesarean section, late pregnancy bleeding, or premature contractions or premature labor and delivery. Also, if a woman is seizure free nine months before she becomes pregnant, it's likely that she will not have any seizures during the pregnancy." However, Harden says pregnant women with epilepsy should consider having their blood tested regularly. "Levels of seizure medications in the blood tend to drop during pregnancy, so checking these levels and adjusting the medication doses should help to keep the levels in the effective range and the pregnant woman seizure free." The guidelines also state that physicians of women with epilepsy should consider avoiding the epilepsy drugs phenytoin and phenobarbital in order to prevent the possibility of decreased thinking skills in children. In addition, the guidelines recommend women with epilepsy be warned that smoking may increase substantially the risk of premature contractions and premature labor and delivery during pregnancy. It is estimated that about half a million women with epilepsy in the United States are of childbearing age and that three to five out of every 1,000 births are to women with epilepsy. The majority of people with epilepsy have well-controlled seizures, are otherwise healthy, and expect to participate fully in life experiences, including pregnancy. To develop the guidelines, the authors reviewed all scientific studies available on the topic. The guidelines were developed in collaboration with the American Epilepsy Society and will also appear be published in the April 27 online issue of the journal Epilepsia. The development of the guidelines was supported in part by the Milken Family Foundation. "For too long, women living with epilepsy have feared the added risk of premature birth and other consequences of both their epilepsy and their medications," said Howard R. Soule, PhD, chief science officer for the Milken Family Foundation. "The results of this project will help relieve the worries of these women and their families." The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system, such as neuropathy, epilepsy, dystonia, migraine, Huntington's disease and dementia. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit www.aan.com. http://www.aan.com/rss/index.cfm/getfile/AAN_1900.pdf ababb@aan.com Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:00:00 GMT