Degenerative disease is the result of a continuous process based on degenerative cell changes, affecting tissues or organs, which will increasingly deteriorate over time. In neurodegenerative diseases, cells of the central nervous system stop working or die via

neurodegeneration A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Neuronal damage may also ultimately result in their cell death, death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic lateral sc ...

. An example of this is

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. The other two common groups of degenerative diseases are those that affect

circulatory system In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart ...

(e.g.

coronary artery disease Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), or ischemic heart disease (IHD), is a type of cardiovascular disease, heart disease involving Ischemia, the reduction of blood flow to the cardiac muscle due to a build-up ...

) and neoplastic diseases (e.g.

cancers Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

). Many degenerative diseases exist and some are related to aging. Normal bodily wear or lifestyle choices (such as

exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...

or eating habits) may worsen degenerative diseases, depending on the specific condition. Sometimes the main or partial cause behind such diseases is

gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

tic. Thus some are clearly hereditary like Huntington's disease. Other causes include

viruses A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are found in almo ...

, poisons or chemical exposures, while sometimes, the underlying cause remains unknown. Some degenerative diseases can be cured. In those that can not, it may be possible to alleviate the symptoms. __TOC__

Examples

(AD) *

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, Terminal illness, terminal neurodegenerative disease, neurodegenerative disorder that results i ...

(ALS,

Lou Gehrig's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and lo ...

) *

Cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

s * Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease (CMT) * Chronic traumatic encephalopathy *

Cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of Sputum, mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably ''Staphy ...

* Some cytochrome c oxidase deficiencies (often the cause of degenerative Leigh syndrome) * Ehlers–Danlos syndrome * Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva * Friedreich's ataxia * Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) * Some cardiovascular diseases (e.g. atherosclerotic ones like

, aortic stenosis, congenital defects etc.) * Huntington's disease * Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy * Keratoconus (KC) * Keratoglobus * Leukodystrophies * Macular degeneration (AMD) * Marfan's syndrome (MFS) * Some mitochondrial myopathies * Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome * Mueller–Weiss syndrome *

Multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

(MS) * Multiple system atrophy * Muscular dystrophies (MD) * Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis * Niemann–Pick diseases * Osteoarthritis *

Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to more porous bone, and consequent increase in Bone fracture, fracture risk. It is the most common reason f ...

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

* Pulmonary arterial hypertension * All prion diseases ( Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, fatal familial insomnia etc.) * Progressive supranuclear palsy * Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) *

Rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

* Sandhoff Disease * Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA, motor neuron disease) * Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis * Substance Use Disorder * Tay–Sachs disease *

Vascular dementia Vascular dementia is dementia caused by a series of strokes. Restricted blood flow due to strokes reduces oxygen and glucose delivery to the brain, causing cell injury and neurological deficits in the affected region. Subtypes of vascular dement ...

(might not itself be neurodegenerative, but often appears alongside other forms of degenerative dementia)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Degenerative Disease Diseases and disorders Senescence Ageing processes

Examples

See also

References