Moyamoya disease is (“said to be”) a “rare” neurovascular condition. Current worldwide statistics state that the disease affects approximately 1 in every 1-2 million people, however, research being done at Stanford Hospital leads specialists to suspect that the actual worldwide statistics are closer to 1 in every 200,000 people, with a large majority of the population going misdiagnosed with something else, or simply undiagnosed altogether. The disease, for unknown reason, causes the internal carotid arteries (ICAs) – the largest blood supply going from the heart to the brain – to progressively narrow. Once the narrowing of these arteries begins, the narrowing does not cease until the arteries are entirely closed – essentially starving the brain of its oxygen supply. Left undiagnosed and untreated, the disease can lead to catastrophic neurological damage, including strokes, hemorrhages, and, in some cases, death. Symptoms of the disease include migraines, seizures and/or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). These symptoms are far-too-often diagnosed, however, then overlooked by medical professionals who do not do further testing to determine what the cause of those symptoms are. Moyamoya disease can affect anyone at any age; it does NOT discriminate against age, gender or ethnicity. Take the time to further educate yourself, and to educate others on this potentially fatal disease. For further information, please go to:
Stanford Moyamoya Center: http://stanfordhospital.org/clinicsmedServices/COE/neuro/moyamoyaDisease/
Moyamoya.com: http://moyamoya.com/
