Disorders for tVNS treatment

Asthma is a condition affecting the lungs that can cause breathing difficulties. It can affect people of all ages in young children to adults. It is caused by inflammation of the breathing pathways that may be caused by factors including allergies, pollution, smoke, cold air, or infections. The major symptoms of asthma include breathlessness, wheezing, constricted/ tightened chest feeling and coughing.

Atrial fibrillation is a condition of the heart where rate of heart beats is irregular and faster. Commonly felt as heart palpitations, this causes symptoms such as dizziness, short breath and tiredness. Atrial fibrillation occurs as from abnormal electrical pulses from the atria causing abnormal regularities in heart muscle contraction, and is the most common form of heart rhythm disturbance.

Autism is not a disease or illness. It is something that describes certain behavioural traits in individuals including difficulties in communicating, interacting or understanding how others think or feel, anxious in unfamiliar situations, longer to understand information, or feeling overwhelmed/ agitated from loud sounds and bright lights. ASD has a spectrum and is different for everyone. It may become apparent when young. It can be identified in individuals not as an illness but as someone who may require additional support in situations or daily living.

Cognitive impairment is common in aging where things are commonly forgotten or there are periods of confusion.

Crohn’s disease affects people of all ages and common symptoms include diarrhea, stomach pains, tiredness, loss in weight or blood in stools, and occurs due to inflammation of parts of the digestive system. The causes of the disease are unknown and maybe multi-factorial including genetics, immune system dysfunction, infections or imbalance of gut bacteria.

Depression affects people in different ways and may exist as lasting feelings of hopelessness and unhappiness, loss of interest and anxiety, with different levels of severity in these characteristics of the disease. There can also be physical symptoms with poor sleep, lack of sex drive or appetite, tiredness and pains in the body. Depression may be triggered by life-changing events and can be more common in individuals with a family history of the disease.

Epilepsy is a brain condition that causes frequent seizures due to abnormal electrical activity in specific brain regions. The symptoms of epilepsy include uncontrolled involuntary jerking, loss of consciousness (‘spacing out’), falling and different auras (onset of sensations), Epilepsy is commonly a life-long condition starting from childhood that requires the control/ management of seizures.

Fibromyalgia is a condition that presents as widespread pain over the body. The symptoms of FMS include fatigue, difficult sleeping, brain fog (i.e. loss of concentration and memory), muscle rigidity, headache pain and irritable bowel syndrome. FMS is a result of aberrant brain signaling that leads to pain signals being abnormally processed, which may be triggered in individuals due to a major physical or emotionally stressful event.

Inflammation is the body’s response to infections or injury for normal protection, as part of the body’s defense system and is activated by the immune system. In certain diseases, the immune system triggers inflammation when no protection is needed and causes discomfort and damage to parts of the body.

Migraines is the third most common disease and is felt as a headache with throbbing pain that is unilateral (one side) with severity that varies between individuals. The onset of migraines are typically from early adulthood. It is thought that migraines are a result of abnormal chemical signaling that affects the nerve fibers and blood vessels in the brain that results in moderate to severe pain. Migraines may be triggered by stress, menstruation, tiredness, or environmental stimuli including light, sounds, or certain food and drinks.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that commonly presents as movement dysfunction including resting tremor, slowness in movement and rigidity. Patients also suffer from depression/ anxiety, insomnia, loss of smell, bowel discomfort and memory problems. Parkinson’s disease is caused by the gradual loss of specific neurons in the brain and mainly affects the elderly, although young-onset Parkinson’s disease does also occur.

Prader-Willi Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that presents with different physical and behavioral symptoms including learning difficulties, weakness of muscles (hypotonia), lack of sexual development, emotional outbursts and physical aggression. The deficits in genes leads to abnormal brain signaling affecting learning and growth developments.

Sleep disorders such as insomnia can occur due to stress, anxiety, depression, discomfort, intake of caffeine, alcohol or recreational drugs. Individuals may regularly find it difficult to go to sleep even when tired, frequently wake up, lie awake, or feel tired even after sleep. Sleep disorders may occur on a short-term or long-term basis.

Stroke is a major threat to life and is caused when the blood supply to the brain is restricted or stopped causing brain cells to die, resulting in permanent brain injury, disability or death. Stroke is most commonly caused by a blood clot which stops the blood supply (ischemic stroke) to the brain, but may also occur due to bursting of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic). The risk of stroke is increased from conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation or diabetes. Individuals who have suffered stroke will often require a long-term of rehabilitation including physiotherapy for regaining physical independence.