I was wondering if anyone knew anything about whether TN is genetic? I don't think any of my family has it ( or they just didn't know what is was?), but i worry about my kids. I would just die if they ended up getting this. They are still very young, but I wonder what I have passed down to them. It just had me wondering if scientists have found a genetic link for it? I know it seems its more likely in women. I have a little girl.
i also read that this is normally a condition found in older people because our arteries never stop growing and then they sag, finally settling on the nerve sometimes. So how do they explain it showing up in someone in their 20's? I guess I've just reached that place in the mourning cycle where I am asking "why''. And also, "was it my fault, did I do something", and how do I prevent it for my kids?
Thanks
Tinah, from what I have read and researched, it appears that about 5% of TN patients have a close relative (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle) who also has TN. There are no genes directly involved in causing TN, that I know of. However, the eventual "sagging" of blood vessels as one grows older, might be attributed to factors in your general body type and construction that are at least influenced by your genotype.
A confounding factor on this general principle, however, is that post mortum studies have revealed that a large proportion of the population has the same kinds of sagging arteries as observed in TN patients -- but they don't have pain. So there is obviously a lot that we still need to learn here.
thank you, Mr. Red. So, basically, we really don't 'know' much of anything solid when it comes to why and how? 5% is a pretty small number especially compared to the relatively small number of people who have TN. I guess I need to stop worrying about my kids. They are more likely to inherit my freckles. LOL! (which they did.)
You've got enough on your plate to worry about without adding things that you have no control over, Tinah. I suspect that your kids will present you with enough to worry over that has nothing to do with the pain in your face. Mine sure did!
Regards, R
yes sir! They sure do! Thanks!