Hashimoto Encephalopathy Hashimoto thyroiditis: goiter and thyroid dysfunction attributed to and defined by antithyroid (antimicrosomal or antithyroglobulin) antibodies. Hashimoto encephalopathy: encephalopathy (clouding of consciousness); high titer of antithyroid antibodies. Thyroid…
Neurologic Disease During Pregnancy Epilepsy Women with preexisting epilepsy: seizure frequency increases during pregnancy in 35%, unchanged in 55%, reduced in 10%. Antiepileptic drug (AED) blood concentrations may change: non-protein-bound…
Hypertrophic Pachymeningitis Local or diffuse thickening of intracranial or spinal dura mater; often with adhesion to underlying leptomeninges. Attributed to infections (syphilis, tuberculosis, fungi); autoimmune or vasculitic diseases (Wegener granulomatosis,…
Vasculitis Syndromes Autoimmune diseases attributed to fibrinoid degeneration of blood vessels; manifest by arthritis, rash, visceral disease. Polyarteritis Nodosa Widespread panarteritis, mainly affecting medium-sized arteries. Onset ages 20 to 50…
Nutritional Disorders: Malabsorption, Malnutrition, Vitamin Deficiencies Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) Deficiency Most common form: pernicious anemia; anemia, neurologic symptoms, atrophy of epithelial covering of tongue. Other causes: tropical sprue, gastric resection,…
Paraneoplastic Syndromes Definition: disorders caused by indirect damage from systemic cancer to central or peripheral nervous system; not due to metastasis. Epidemiology: rare. Any cancer may be associated with paraneoplastic…
Respiratory Support for Neurologic Diseases Most common neurologic indication for ICU: respiratory monitoring and support. Factors predisposing to pulmonary complications and respiratory failure: depressed consciousness; impaired airway due to depressed…
Renal Disease Uremia: symptomatic renal failure. Uremic Encephalopathy Signs: dysarthria, unsteady gait, asterixis, tremor, multifocal myoclonus, obtundation. Day-to-day fluctuation. Also: tetany, restless legs syndrome, meningismus (often with high CSF protein,…
Bone Disease Osteitis Deformans (Paget Disease) Chronic disease of adult skeleton; bowing and irregular flattening of bones. Any or all skeletal bones may be affected; tibia, skull, pelvis most frequent…
Cerebral Complications of Cardiac Surgery Neurologic complications (frequency about 1%): unresponsiveness after surgery, signs of cerebral infarction on awakening, stroke after surgery, dementia without focal signs. Transient encephalopathy after 3%…
