Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is one of the most common medical conditions that causes facial pain. TN is defined by the International Headache Society (IHS) as “unilateral disorder characterized by brief electric shock-like pains, abrupt in onset and termination, and limited to the distribution of one or more divisions of the trigeminal nerve (Oberman, 2010). It is also known as “Tic Doloureux”. The exact cause of TN is still unclear, but the pain is triggered by several factors, such as eating, washing, shaving, cold, warmth, and draught (Van Kleef et al., 2009). According to studies and statistics, TN mostly affects people older than 50 years of age. The highest incidence occurs in the ages between 50 to 70 years, of which 90% of the cases the symptoms started after the age of 40 years. In addition, TN is more prevalent in women than men.
…show more content…
IHS has set strict criteria for TN and include the following (Singh, 2015):
• A – Paroxysmal attacks of pain lasting from a fraction of a second to 2 minutes, affecting one or more divisions of the trigeminal nerve and fulfilling B and C
• B – Pain has at least 1 of the following characteristics: 1) intense, sharp, superficial, or stabbing; or 2) precipitated from trigger areas or by trigger factors
• C – Attacks stereotyped in the individual patient
• D – No clinically evident neurological
IHS has set strict criteria for TN and include the following (Singh, 2015):
• A – Paroxysmal attacks of pain lasting from a fraction of a second to 2 minutes, affecting one or more divisions of the trigeminal nerve and fulfilling B and C
• B – Pain has at least 1 of the following characteristics: 1) intense, sharp, superficial, or stabbing; or 2) precipitated from trigger areas or by trigger factors
• C – Attacks stereotyped in the individual patient
• D – No clinically evident neurological