As we work to find cures for so many devastating neurologic injuries and diseases, our patients suffer tremendously on a daily basis. Individuals with conditions including stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease (PD), muscular dystrophies, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and nervous system malignancies share a host of physical, emotional, and existential symptoms that can be difficult to treat. In addition, patients and their families face the realities of loss of function, loss of ability to communicate, and lifespans limited by the neurologic diagnosis or complications related to it (e.g., dysphagia, immobility, infection). We may not always be able to reverse damage to the nervous system, but we can optimize quality of life for our patients by providing expertise in communicating difficult news, pain and symptom management, and advance planning and end-of-life care.
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.
- Received May 9, 2013.
- Accepted in final form September 6, 2013.
- © 2014 American Academy of Neurology
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