Glossary of Medical and Health Terms

Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN)

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), or Tic Douloureux, (also known as prosopalgia) is a neuropathic disorder of the trigeminal nerve that causes episodes of intense pain in the eyes, lips, nose, scalp, forehead, and jaw. Trigeminal neuralgia is considered by many to be among the most painful of conditions and once was labeled the "suicide disease" because of the significant numbers of people taking their own lives before effective treatments were discovered. An estimated one in 15,000 people suffers from trigeminal neuralgia, although numbers may be significantly higher due to frequent misdiagnosis. It usually develops after the age of 40, although there have been cases with patients being as young as three years of age.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigeminal_neuralgia

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