Degenerative disease is the result of a continuous process based on degenerative cell changes, affecting tissues or organs, which will increasingly deteriorate over time.
In neurodegenerative diseases, cells of the central nervous system stop working or die via neurodegeneration. An example of this is Alzheimer's disease. The other two common groups of degenerative diseases are those that affect circulatory system (e.g. coronary artery disease) and neoplastic diseases (e.g. cancers).
Many degenerative diseases exist and some are related to aging. Normal bodily wear or lifestyle choices (such as exercise or eating habits) may worsen degenerative diseases, but this depends on the disease. Sometimes the main or partial cause behind such diseases is genetic. Thus some are clearly hereditary like Huntington's disease. Sometimes the cause is viruses, poisons or other chemicals. The cause may also be unknown.
Some degenerative diseases can be cured. In those that can not, it may be possible to alleviate the symptoms.
Alzheimer's disease (AD)
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease)
Cancers
Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMT)
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Cystic fibrosis
Some cytochrome c oxidase deficiencies (often the cause of degenerative Leigh syndrome)
Ehlers–Danlos syndrome
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva
Friedreich's ataxia
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD)
Some cardiovascular diseases (e.g. atherosclerotic ones like coronary artery disease, aortic stenosis, congenital defects etc.)
Huntington's disease
Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy
Keratoconus (KC)
Keratoglobus
Leukodystrophies
Macular degeneration (AMD)
Marfan's syndrome (MFS)
Some mitochondrial myopathies
Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome
Mueller–Weiss syndrome
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Multiple system atrophy
Muscular dystrophies (MD)
Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis
Niemann–Pick diseases
Osteoarthritis
Osteoporosis
Parkinson's disease
Pulmonary arterial hypertension
All prion diseases (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia etc.
This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone which affects 1 in 7 adults in the United States. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world. The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness. Usually the symptoms progress slowly over years. Other symptoms may include joint swelling, decreased range of motion, and, when the back is affected, weakness or numbness of the arms and legs.
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a type of dementia characterized by changes in sleep, behavior, cognition, movement, and regulation of automatic bodily functions. Memory loss is not always an early symptom. The disease worsens over time and is usually diagnosed when cognitive impairment interferes with normal daily functioning. Together with Parkinson's disease dementia, DLB is one of the two Lewy body dementias. It is a common form of dementia, but the prevalence is not known accurately and many diagnoses are missed.
Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental/ psychiatric abilities. A general lack of coordination and an unsteady gait often follow. It is also a basal ganglia disease causing a hyperkinetic movement disorder known as chorea. As the disease advances, uncoordinated, involuntary body movements of chorea become more apparent.
The goal of the course is to guide students through the essential aspects of molecular neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases. The student will gain the ability to dissect the molecular basis of
Phantom boarder (PB) is the sensation that someone uninvited is in the patient's home despite evidence to the contrary. It is mostly reported by patients with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies or Parkinson's ...
Preventing the misfolding or aggregation of TDP-43 is the most actively pursued disease-modifying strategy to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. In our work, we provide proof of concept that native state stabili ...
EPFL2024
BackgroundImpaired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics is involved in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system and the optic nerve (ON), including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, as well as frontotemporal dementia ...