Dear Constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about trigeminal neuralgia.

It is important to raise awareness of trigeminal neuralgia, which can be incredibly painful to its sufferers. As I understand, this condition can trigger attacks of severe pain in the face, brought on by even gentle activities like brushing teeth and eating. This condition affects roughly 1 person in every 10,000, and it is often linked to underlying conditions such as multiple sclerosis or tumours.

However rare, it’s important to raise awareness of conditions like trigeminal neuralgia, both to improve the existing care and support for people suffering from it, and to encourage those who may have some of its symptoms to approach their doctor, and receive the certainty of a diagnosis or an all clear. I know that this condition is often confused with dental pain, so I would like to support any efforts to raise awareness of it, and help people get the care and treatment they need.

I would like to commend the work the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association, which I understand is the only charity dedicated to this condition in Europe. They have done excellent work providing support to fellow sufferers, and raising awareness throughout the health service, so doctors and nurses can better identify and treat this condition.

This is a long term condition, which can require treatment for many years. I know that a variety of treatments are available on the NHS to manage this condition, such as anticonvulsant medications, which can reduce the severity of the symptoms, or surgery in more serious instances. Furthermore, there are a number of NHS hospitals which commission high quality radiotherapy services for rare and complex conditions like trigeminal neuralgia.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Yours,

EDWARD LEIGH MP