Fothergill disease: The most common misdiagnosed disease for years

Dear Editor,

I would like to draw your attention to an excruciating painful disease which affects humanity with long term chronic sufferings of pain. This condition affects pain to such extreme level that patient’s starts developing psychiatric disorders which results in 50 percent of sufferers to commit suicide. This disease is termed as Trigeminal Neuralgia also known as Suicide Disease, Fothergill Disease and Tic Douloureux.

According to one report by National Institute of Health which states that 1 in 8000 people are affected with this disease per year.

Trigeminal Neuralgia is very difficult to diagnose because it’s symptoms are very similar to other facial pain disorders. This disease is most commonly misdiagnosed with continuous dental pain or persistent Temporomandibular Joint disorders. The most common and initial symptoms of this disorder are sudden attack of electrical shock like pain which may lasts from few seconds to minutes. Trigeminal Neuralgia usually affects maxillary (V2) and mandibular divisions (V3) of trigeminal nerve, so the pain could be felt in upper jaw, lower jaw or cheeks. It affects rarely Ophthalmic division of trigeminal nerve (V1), so it’s less common in forehead and orbit area. This attack could be triggered while performing daily activities such as brushing, washing face, head movements, travelling, shaving or even simply smiling.

Person suffering from such excruciating painful conditions starts suffering from psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety and stress disorders which results in suicide mediation in them. So careful and correct diagnosis must be performed by clinician and to confirm the presence of Trigeminal Neuralgia, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan must be carried out. This scan will rule out Suicide Disease by showing any blood vessels compressing on Trigeminal nerve causing the Phantom facial pain.

In the conclusion, I would like to state that myself being devoted for years to cure permanently and eradicate NVCS.

I feel that this disease could be possibly cured at very early stage if it’s diagnosis is correctly carried out and it is always said ‘a correct diagnosis is three fourths the remedy'.