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Guess the disease!

Topic: Behavior

Created on Wednesday, February 21 2007 by jdmiles

Last modified on Wednesday, February 21 2007.

GUESS WHAT I'M THINKING!
I'm thinking of a disorder which may be inherited or sporadic. It begins in early infancy with loss of smile, loss of interest in surroundings, episodes of sweating, seizures, and diffuse myoclonic jerks. As it progresses, there follows diffuse spasticity, blindness, delayed growth, and progressive microcephaly. In late stages, the patient is essentially decorticate. The etiology is not yet understood.
What disease am I thinking of?

A) Wernicke's Encephalopathy

B) Causalgia

C) Korsakoff's Amnesic Syndrome

D) Alpers' Disease

E) Alpers-Hutttenlocher syndrome

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This question was created on February 21, 2007 by jdmiles.
This question was last modified on February 21, 2007.

ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS

A) Wernicke's Encephalopathy

This answer is incorrect.

Wernicke's Encephalopathy is a syndrome of ophthalmoparesis, nystagmus, ataxia, and confusion. Other findings often include postural hypotension and hypothermia. It is associated with thiamine deficiency, often secondary to malnutrition or alcoholism. (See References)


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B) Causalgia

This answer is incorrect.

Causalgia is a type of peripheral neuralgia in which there is persistent burning pain in an extremity, along with abnormal sympathetic innervation in the affected nerve. It is most often seen after trauma. (See References)


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C) Korsakoff's Amnesic Syndrome

This answer is incorrect.

Korsakoff's Amnesic Syndrome is a syndrome of severe anterograde and retrograde amnesia. It is often associated with polyenuropathy. It is frequently associated with a thiamine deficiency secondary to alcoholism or malnutrition, with lesions of the mammillary bodies visible on pathology or MRI. It can have other etiologies, including ischemic lesions in various parts of the brain. (See References)


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D) Alpers' Disease

This answer is correct.

Alpers' Disease is a disorder which may be inherited or sporadic. It begins in early infancy with loss of smile, loss of interest in surroundings, episodes of sweating, seizures, and diffuse myoclonic jerks. As it progresses, there follows diffuse spasticity, blindness, delayed growth, and progressive microcephaly. In late stages, the patient is essentially decorticate. The etiology is not yet understood. (See References)


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E) Alpers-Hutttenlocher syndrome

This answer is incorrect.

Alpers-Hutttenlocher syndrome is a subtype of progressive cerebral poliodystrophy in which there are also hepatic symptoms: jaundice, fatty degeneration, and cirrhosis. Other symptoms include anemia, thrombocytopenia, and trichorrhexis. (See References)


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References:

1. Victor, M., and Ropper, A.H. (2001). Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology, 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill, New York.


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behavior
Guess the disease!
Question ID: 02210701
Question written by J. Douglas Miles, (C) 2006-2009, all rights reserved.
Created: 02/21/2007
Modified: 02/21/2007
Estimated Permutations: 0