**Degenerative Diseases Overview:**
– Definition: Degenerative diseases result from continuous cell changes leading to tissue or organ deterioration over time.
– Causes: Genetic factors, viruses, poisons, chemicals, or unknown factors contribute to degenerative diseases.
– Groups: Includes neurodegenerative diseases, circulatory system diseases, and neoplastic diseases.
– Factors: Aging, lifestyle choices, and genetics can exacerbate degenerative conditions.
**Neurodegenerative Diseases:**
– Examples: Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, FTD, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
– Characteristics: Central nervous system cell dysfunction or death.
**Genetic Degenerative Diseases:**
– Examples: Huntington’s disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Friedreich’s ataxia, Leigh syndrome, Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease.
– Inheritance: Hereditary degenerative disorders affecting various systems.
**Degenerative Diseases in Cardiovascular System:**
– Conditions: Coronary artery disease, aortic stenosis, congenital defects, degenerative aortic valve disease.
– Factors: Age, lifestyle choices, and hereditary influences can worsen cardiovascular degeneration.
**Other Degenerative Diseases:**
– Examples: Cancers, cystic fibrosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple System Atrophy, Keratoconus, Keratoglobus.
– Diverse Manifestations: Affect various organs and systems, requiring specialized management approaches.
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.