{"id":12081,"date":"2019-09-04T08:45:53","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T08:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=12081"},"modified":"2021-04-29T16:18:58","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T16:18:58","slug":"14-common-causes-of-schwannoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-common-causes-of-schwannoma\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Common Causes of Schwannoma"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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An interesting fact that you may not know is that each and every one of the nerves in your body is actually protected by a sheath. No, we\u2019re not referring to somewhere that you\u2019d store your knife. A sheath in the context of medicine is a protective tissue that surrounds your nerves and keeps them safe from damage. That being said, there are some instances in which a tumor could develop on this sheaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These types of tumors are known as schwannomas. They can lead to various symptoms such as a loss of balance and even problems balancing \u2014 which could put someone in harm\u2019s way. Other symptoms include muscle weakness and burning pain that emanates from the schwannoma itself. Knowing what causes these schwannomas is important because it helps you prevent such an occurrence. Without further adieu, here are eight common causes of schwannoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. NF2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

NF2 stands for neurofibromatosis <\/a>2 and is one of the leading causes of schwannomas. In cases of NF2, patients will notice that non-cancerous tumors may develop. These tumors that are caused by NF2 typically grow around the spinal cord and brain. Schwannomas can also develop due to NF2 when tumors grow in the sheath of the nerve. The protective tissues that make up these nerve sheats are actually known as Schwann cells hence the term schwannoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common type of schwannomas that develop in patients who suffer from NF2 is spinal cord schwannomas. It\u2019s essential that you immediately treat schwannomas especially when they are located on the spinal cord as, if they are left untreated, it could lead to paralysis. Early treatment for spinal cord schwannomas is essential to ensuring that no lasting damage occurs. Once paralysis ensues, it\u2019s very difficult to undo it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Schwannomatosis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Schwannomatosis is a rare form of neurofibromatosis. The symptoms associated with schwannomatosis generally develop between the ages of 25 and 30 though there have been some cases where they manifested earlier or later. If the patient also bilateral tumors then they may actually be dealing with NF2 rather than schwannomatosis. The symptoms that one will experience when they\u2019re suffering from schwannomatosis can vary based on where the schwannomas develop on their bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who have schwannomatosis will often suffer from chronic pain due to the pressure being put on the nerves <\/a>by their schwannomas. There have been various alternative treatments with anecdotal reports of relieving chronic pain. Cannabidiol is one that patients with schwannomatosis have praised, though its effect on the condition is yet to be confirmed by empirical studies. That being said, it\u2019s still worth a shot if you\u2019re trying to relieve the pain as it\u2019s generally considered safe by most doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Hereditary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Around half of all cases of NF2 are hereditary meaning that they were passed down from parents. Some hereditary <\/a>diseases are dominant in specific demographics such as those with African ethnicity. Other diseases are more common in women. That being said, NF2 affects all demographics equally thus you have an equal chance of developing the disease hereditarily regardless of your gender, ethnicity, and race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s worth noting that you\u2019re not guaranteed to develop NF2 and schwannomas even if one of your parents suffered from it so there\u2019s no need to ring the alarm bells just because your family has a history of NF2. However, if you notice a schwannoma developing and know that one of your parents suffered from NF2 then you might have developed the condition hereditarily. Be sure to get yourself checked by a medical professional as soon as you realize you have a schwannoma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Spontaneous mutation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s worth noting that not all cases of NF2 are hereditary. About half of all patients who have NF2 and schwannomas developed the condition as a result of a genetic mutation. This occurs in the time of conception  This means that you could develop NF2 and schwannomas even if your family doesn\u2019t have a history of the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you notice schwannomas developing on your body then you should still have yourself tested for NF2 despite having no family history of the disease as you may have developed it due to a spontaneous mutation. It\u2019s worth noting that there\u2019s no difference in the severity of the disease nor the symptoms when you develop it due to a spontaneous mutation rather than hereditarily. If your schwannomas are, in fact, being caused by a spontaneous mutation case of NF2 then doctors will be able to diagnose it using genetic <\/a>testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Skeletal problems<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most patients who have NF2 and schwannomas also suffer from bone problems. That being said, some doctors have posed the theory that perhaps the skeletal problem<\/a>s lead to the development of the disease rather than the other way around. If the theory proves true then the formerly-held beliefs that NF2 leads to skeletal problems would be a classic case of reverse causation where one thinks that the cause is the effect and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, during the olden days before science was a widely-studied field, some people thought that the movement of windmills generates wind. Of course, we now know that it\u2019s actually the wind that turns the windmills but that wasn\u2019t common knowledge back then. The same phenomenon could be occurring here when doctors think that NF2 causes skeletal problems. If you have schwannomas in addition to skeletal problems then you most likely also have NF2 and thus should receive genetic testing so that you can confirm the diagnosis and get proper treatment for your ailments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Carney complex<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Carney complex<\/a> is known as an autosomal dominant hereditary disease. This means that it can be inherited from a parent that suffers from the condition. There have been various studies and live cases showing that cases of Carney complex lead to the development of schwannomas. It\u2019s a rather rare disease but that doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s not what\u2019s causing your schwannomas to develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to find out if a case of Carney complex is at the root of your problems or if something else is causing the issue then you should get some genetic testing done on you so that you can see which condition you have. Doctors will also often use the family history of the patient to diagnose which genetic disorders they are suffering from. After all, if they exhibit the symptoms of this condition and have relatives who have suffered from it then it\u2019s the likely culprit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Diabetes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There have been some studies showing that the neuropathy <\/a>\u2014 the fancy word that doctors use to describe nerve damage \u2014 that patients experience when they are suffering from diabetes might be a potential cause for schwannomas. After all, the damage to their nerves will make lasting changes to the surrounding tissues including the sheaths which might cause the formation of schwannomas in the affected areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there aren\u2019t any completed studies on this topic yet, there are some reports of researchers who are currently looking into the theory so that they can confirm or deny its validity. It wouldn\u2019t be surprising diabetic neuropathy does, in fact, cause schwannomas as even pressure ulcers can lead to the development of squamous cell carcinoma due to the lasting changes in the tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Cancer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Diabetes isn\u2019t the only disease that causes nerve damage, various forms of cancer <\/a>can also lead to damage in the nerve tissues. In the same way that diabetes might cause schwannomas to develop as a result of the lasting nerve damage brought on by the condition, the neuropathy caused by cancer could also lead to the development of schwannomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have cancer and are regularly suffering from nerve damage then you should immediately report anything that resembles a schwannoma to your doctor so that they can treat it promptly. Catching a schwannoma early will make dealing with it far easier. Different types of cancer will cause varying levels of nerve damage so you may be at a higher risk depending on the form of cancer that you\u2019re currently suffering from. Regardless of which type of cancer you have, the nerve damage may definitely lead to schwannoma development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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