Findings Related to Weakness Suggesting a Specific Disorder
Findings | Disorders to Consider |
|---|---|
Rapidly progressive generalized weakness; prominent ophthalmoplegia, dysarthria, and dysphagia, particularly if preceded by gastroenteritis | |
Symptoms and signs suggesting dissemination of lesions in time and space, history of relapses and remissions, monocular visual loss due to optic neuritis, diplopia due to internuclear ophthalmoplegia | |
Acute or chronic weakness, dysarthria, dysphagia, hyporeflexia, excessive cholinergic symptoms and signs (eg, salivation, lacrimation, urination, pupillary constriction, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, bradycardia) | |
Unilateral weakness, upper motor neuron signs | Single brain lesion, such as acute stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic), tumor, or abscess |
Chronic progressive quadriparesis, upper motor neuron signs, preserved cranial nerves, normal jaw jerk | |
Prominent extraocular muscle palsy (possibly only diplopia during extreme gaze) | Myasthenia gravis, botulism, Miller Fisher variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome |
Fatigability detected by sequential testing (eg, eye blinking) | Myasthenia gravis |
Asymmetric limb weakness, dysarthria, dysphagia, prominent tongue fasciculations |