Head nerve inflammation
There are many nerves in the head area that can be affected by neuritis. One of the cranial nerves that can become inflamed is the optic nerve. One speaks then of an optic neuritis.
The main symptoms of this nerve inflammation are visual disturbances (deterioration of visual acuity, in the worst case blindness) and pain, especially when the eyes move. Depending on the cause of the inflammation, the symptoms may be unilateral or bilateral. If it is unilateral, it is usually an extension of a local inflammation (e.g. inflammation of the paranasal sinuses or the retina of the eye) to the optic nerve.
If the symptoms occur in both eyes, the causes are more complex. For example, optic neuritis may be autoimmune and occur in the context of other diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Bacterial or viral systemic diseases (syphilis, Lyme borreliosis), the infectious disease toxoplasmosis in immunocompromised patients, poisoning with alcohol, nicotine, lead or thallium or certain drugs can also manifest themselves in optic neuritis.
The prognosis of optic neuritis is usually good, it is treated with glucocorticoid administration. The nerves responsible for eye movement can also become inflamed as part of an autoimmune process (for example in Guillain-Barré syndrome). This can result in oculomotor nerve paresis, i.e. paralysis of the eye muscle, in which the mobility of the eyeball is reduced.
Other possible symptoms are a drooping upper lid, a rigid, wide pupil and accommodation disorders (“focusing” is disturbed). If the part of the auditory and vestibular nerve responsible for balance is altered in an inflammatory way, it is called vestibular neuritis. This can result from a viral infection or virus reactivation (e.g. in the case of herpes viruses).
Another cause is a circulatory disorder of the vestibular organ. Typical symptoms are rotational vertigo and vomiting. The part of the auditory and vestibular nerve responsible for hearing can be damaged by toxins produced by bacteria – e.g. in syphilis, scarlet fever, typhoid, diphtheria, measles – or other substances (tobacco, alcohol, heavy metals).
