What happens in tabes dorsalis?
Tabes dorsalis is a slow degeneration of the nerve cells and nerve fibers that carry sensory information to the brain. The degenerating nerves are in the dorsal columns of the spinal cord (the portion closest to the back of the body) and carry information that help maintain a person’s sense of position.
Which tract is damaged in tabes dorsalis?
Tabes dorsalis is a slowly progressive parenchymatous degenerative disease of the dorsal column and dorsal root of the spinal cord as a result of syphilis caused by infection with Treponema pallidum pallidum, one of three subspecies of Treponema pallidum that can cause sexually transmitted disease in humans.
What is tabes dorsalis and what causes it?
Tabes dorsalis is a form of neurosyphilis, which is a complication of late stage syphilis infection. Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is spread sexually. When syphilis is untreated, the bacteria damages the spinal cord and peripheral nervous tissue. This leads to the symptoms of tabes dorsalis.
How do you diagnose tabes dorsalis?
Exams and Tests
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination. Head CT, spine CT, or MRI scans of the brain and spinal cord to rule out other diseases. Serum VDRL or serum RPR (used as a screening test for syphilis infection)
Why are reflexes absent in tabes dorsalis?
Tabes dorsalis is characterized by paresthesias or dysesthesias in a radicular distribution. As the disease progresses, proprioceptive and vibratory sense is lost due to neuronal degeneration and infiltration of inflammatory cells into the dorsal columns and posterior spinal nerve roots of the spinal cord.
What is tabes mean?
1 : wasting accompanying a chronic disease.
What is Argyll Robertson pupil?
Argyll Robertson pupil describes the physical exam finding of bilaterally small pupils that do not constrict when exposed to bright light but do constrict when focused on a nearby object. Argyll Robertson pupil is a highly specific sign of late-stage syphilis.
What causes Tabetic gait?
“Tabetic gait” is a characteristic ataxic gait of untreated syphilis where the person’s feet slap the ground as they strike the floor due to loss of proprioception. In daylight the person can avoid some unsteadiness by watching their own feet.
What is Friedreich’s ataxia?
What is Friedreich ataxia? Friedreich ataxia (also called FA) is a rare inherited disease that causes progressive nervous system damage and movement problems. It usually begins in childhood and leads to impaired muscle coordination (ataxia) that worsens over time.
What does dorsalis mean?
noun, plural dor·sal·es [dawr-sal-eez, -sey-leez]. a blood vessel or nerve serving the back of the part with which it is associated.
What is Tabetic gait?
What is Marcus Gunn pupil?
Marcus Gunn pupil (MGP) is the term given to an abnormal pupil showing aberrant pupillary response in certain ocular disorders. In literature, the term is often used synonymously with Marcus Gunn phenomenon or relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD). [1] After exposure to bright light, a normal pupil constricts.
What is Hutchinson pupil?
Hutchinson’s pupil is a clinical sign in which the pupil on the side of an intracranial mass lesion is dilated and unreactive to light, due to compression of the oculomotor nerve on that side. The sign is named after Sir Jonathan Hutchinson.
What are the 8 types of gait?
There are eight basic pathological gaits that can be attributed to neurological conditions: hemiplegic, spastic diplegic, neuropathic, myopathic, Parkinsonian, choreiform, ataxic (cerebellar) and sensory.
What is the gait of a person with tabes dorsalis?
“Tabes dorsalgia” is a related lancinating back pain. “Tabetic gait” is a characteristic ataxic gait of untreated syphilis where the person’s feet slap the ground as they strike the floor due to loss of proprioception. In daylight the person can avoid some unsteadiness by watching their own feet.
What happens in Gaucher disease?
Gaucher (go-SHAY) disease is the result of a buildup of certain fatty substances in certain organs, particularly your spleen and liver. This causes these organs to enlarge and can affect their function. The fatty substances also can build up in bone tissue, weakening the bone and increasing the risk of fractures.
What is Kaori’s disease?
Friedreich’s ataxia is a rare genetic disease that causes difficulty walking, a loss of sensation in the arms and legs, and impaired speech. It’s also known as spinocerebellar degeneration. “Ataxia” means lack of order. There are a number of types of ataxia with a number of causes.
What is the gender of dorsalis?
Masc./Fem.
What is the pulse on the foot called?
dorsalis pedis pulse
The dorsalis pedis pulse is palpable on the dorsum of the foot in the first intermetatarsal space just lateral to the extensor tendon of the great toe. The posterior tibial pulse can be felt behind and below the medial malleolus.
What is a Steppage gait?
Steppage gait is the inability to lift the foot while walking due to the weakness of muscles that cause dorsiflexion of the ankle joint.
What causes Argyll Robertson pupil?
Argyll Robertson pupil is found in late-stage syphilis, a disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. Neurosyphilis occurs due to an invasion of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by the spirochete which likely occurs soon after the initial acquisition of the disease.
What is a Marcus Gunn pupil?
What is normal gait called?
What is Normal gait? Normal gait is a ‘normal’ walking pattern. Normal gait requires strength, balance, sensation and coordination. Heel strike to heel strike or one stride length is known as a gait cycle.
What is abnormal gait called?
What is another name of Gaucher’s disease?
Gaucher disease type 2, also known as acute neuronopathic Gaucher disease, occurs in newborns and infants and is characterized by neurological complications due to the abnormal accumulation of glucocerebroside in the brain.