Neurology In Tropics

Tropical neurology refers to those diseases of the nervous system which prevail in between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Developments in speed and ease of travel and globalisation of economy have resulted in large scale migration rendering the boundaries of tropical regions less distinct. Wars, famines, natural disasters and economic sanctions have added to the problem of infection and aggravated the preexisting nutritional deficiency disorders in many tropical countries. This book is aimed at residents, practicing physicians, health workers and physicians from western countries who are visiting the tropical countries.

Tropical neurology refers to those diseases of the nervous system which prevail in between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Developments in speed and ease of travel and globalisation of economy have resulted in large scale migration rendering the boundaries of tropical regions less distinct. Wars, famines, natural disasters and economic sanctio

Neuroparasitology and Tropical Neurology, a new volume in The Handbook of Clinical Neurology, provides a comprehensive and contemporary reference on parasitic infections of the human nervous system. Parasitic infections are varied and some are resolved by the host’s immune system, other infections may become established even though unnoticed, and some cause severe disease and death. In our modern world, neuroparasitoses are no longer geographically isolated and these infections now appear worldwide. Outside of a very few well understood pathologies, most parasitic infections have been neglected in the neurological literature and most neurologists have never diagnosed such an infection. This volume details how, with the advent of modern neuroimaging techniques, improved diagnostic applications of molecular biology, more accurate immunodiagnosis, and minimally invasive neurosurgery, human nervous system parasitoses are now diagnosed and treated, with increasing frequency. The book is divided into six sections, and begins with an introduction to the mechanisms of infection, diagnosis, and pathology of parasitic diseases. Subsequent chapters detail protozoan diseases and a section covering each of the major classes of human-infecting helminths: nematodes (roundworms), trematodes (flukes), and cestodes (tapeworms). The final section contains chapters on other important areas of tropical clinical medicine including the neurological complications of venomous bites and tropical nutritional deficiencies. Neuroparasitology and Tropical Neurology will be of interest to neurologists, neurosurgeons and other health professionals encountering patients with parasitic infections. A comprehensive reference resource on the diagnosis and treatment of parasitic infections of the human nervous system Focuses on the impact of modern neuroimaging techniques, improved diagnostic applications of molecular biology, more accurate immunodiagnosis, and minimally invasive neurosurgery to diagnose parasitoses International list of contributors including the leading workers in the field

About three-fourths of the total world population live in the tropics but consume only 6% of worldwide food production and contribute 15% of the world's net revenue explaining the short life expectancy, high infantile mortality, and poor daily caloric intake; moreover, lack of clean drinking water and deficient sanitation promote water-borne infections, diarrhea, and risk of malabsorption that contribute to the prevalence of malnutrition in the tropics. One-third of the world's population consumes insufficient iodine increasing the risk for mental retardation and deafness due to maternal hypothyroidism. The main nutritional syndromes comprise protein-energy malnutrition (marasmus and kwashiorkor); nutritional neuropathies, myelopathies and neuromyelopathies, as well as specific deficiencies of vitamins and micronutrients including iodine, iron, zinc, and selenium.