Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a frequently misdiagnosed neurological disorder

Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a group of more than 20 inherited neurological disorders. The condition can start at any age and occurs in about 3 per 100,000 people worldwide. It is a frequently misdiagnosed condition which causes progressive weakness or paraplegia and increased spasticity or muscle tone and stiffness of leg muscles. Symptoms include walking difficulty, balance problems, frequent urination, urination urgency and muscle spasms. The intensity of symptoms varies greatly from person to person. Some sufferers may also develop visual impairment, hearing impairment, mental retardation, seizures or involuntary movement. Diagnosis may involve genetic testing or careful examination by an experienced physician. The condition may be misdiagnosed as vitamin B12 deficiency, mitochondrial disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease. There is no cure and treatment involves alleviation of symptoms and maintenance of muscle functioning and mobility. The condition does not lead to an earlier death.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by About

Related Disease Topics:

• Hereditary spastic paraplegia
• Neurological disorder
• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Mitochondrial disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Lou Gehrig's disease

Related Symptom Topics:

• Weakness
• Paraplegia
• Spasticity
• Increased muscle tone in leg muscle
• Increased stiffness in leg muscle
• Walking difficulty
• Balance problems
• Frequent urination
• Urination urgency
• Muscle spasms
• Visual impairment
• Hearing impairment
• Mental retardation
• Seizure
• Involuntary movements

Article Source Details

About: Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a frequently misdiagnosed neurological disorder

Date: 9 January 2005

Source: About

Author: Mary Kugler

URL: http://rarediseases.about.com/cs/hs1/a/110103.htm

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Statistics
• Cause of weakness
• Cause of paraplegia
• Cause of spasticity
• Cause of increased muscle tone in leg muscle
• Cause of increased stiffness in leg muscle
• Cause of walking difficulty
• Cause of balance problems
• Cause of frequent urination
• Cause of urination urgency
• Cause of muscle spasms
• Cause of visual impairment
• Cause of hearing impairment
• Cause of mental retardation
• Cause of seizure
• Cause of involuntary movements
• Cause of misdiagnosis
• Misdiagnosis and vitamin B12 deficiency
• Misdiagnosis and mitochondrial disease
• Misdiagnosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Misdiagnosis and Lou Gehrig's disease
• Misdiagnosis and hereditary spastic paraplegia
• Misdiagnosis and neurological disorder

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