Connective tissue disease can affect the brain.
Connective tissue diseases can present with a wide spectrum of neurological symptoms.
The present review summarizes the neurological involvement in connective tissue diseases and highlights recent findings on the diagnosis of neurological manifestations and potential underlying mechanisms.
Sjogren syndrome can affect the nerve that carries feeling from your face to your brain (trigeminal nerve).
A connective tissue disease is any disease that affects the parts of the body that connect the structures of the body together.
Some common connective tissue diseases include.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
Scleroderma.
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA)
Churg-Strauss syndrome.
Lupus.
Microscopic polyangiitis.
Polymyositis/dermatomyositis.
Marfan syndrome.
The symptoms of connective tissue disease include.
General feeling of being unwell. This can include increased fatigue and a mild fever.
Cold and numb fingers or toes (Raynaud's phenomenon). In response to cold or stress, your fingers or toes might turn white and then purplish blue.
Swollen fingers or hands.
Muscle and joint pain.
Rash.
Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common connective tissue diseases and can be inherited.
RA is an autoimmune disease, meaning the immune system attacks its own body. In this systemic disorder, immune cells attack and inflame the membrane around joints.