total body numbness

    
      Re: total body numbness
    


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Posted by CCF Neuro MD on June 28, 1997 at 04:58:58:

In Reply to: total body numbness posted by Brenda Bruno on June 18, 1997 at 11:27:59:

: Please Help!!  My, brother, age 43, was suddenly stricken last March, with total numbness in his feet and hands.  Within a few days, he was totally numb from head to toe.  He got to a point where he could not even turn over in bed.  At the hospital, he was given IV immunoglobulin for about 5 days. He began to show slight improvement but has been numb ever since.  He was first diagnosed with Guillain Barre but once the specialist in Houston, TX tested him extensively, they quickly ruled out Guillain Barre....something to do with because he still has motor movement and only the sensory nerves were affected.  However, during his lengthly hospital stay, it was also discovered that he has Hepatitis C.   Eventually, he  was diagnosed as having "acute sensory neuronopathy", (along with hepatitis C) supposedly only the 61st known case in the world.  It is so upsetting to us to see him in the condition that he is in.  He can barely get into a wheelchair, only with asistance.  He has to be  cared for as if he were an invalid.  He suffers great pain in his hands when he has to grip which has prevented him from exercising much or attempting to begin physical therapy.  We somehow feel that the hepatitis C was in some way responsible for his condition yet the doctors we've seen seem to dismiss that notion.  If there is anyone, anywhere who has had a similar case or knows of a similar situtaion, please contact me.  We;re praying for an answer or a cure.  THANK YOU!
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Dear Brenda:
Your brother's disorder likely results from some kind of autoimmune damage to the sensory nerve cells or neurons which are located in the dorsal root ganglia inside the bony spine. This region of the nervous system (unlike most others) is exposed to and hence vulnerable to damage from circulating toxins or antibodies. Despite that, your brother's condition is uncommon. Lack of sensation also results in severe incoordination, because the brain does not know where parts of the body are located in space. Paradoxically there is also severe pain. The two best recognised conditions causing this picture are 1) Remote effects from lung cancer, and a few other cancers,such as Hodgkin's disease, and 2) In association with Sjogren's syndrome, which is a common cause of a dry mouth and dry eyes. Less common conditions that could mimic or cause sensory neuronopathy include syphilis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, other dysimmune/paraproteinemic neuropathies, and some toxins. I searched but could not find a clearly described association of this condition with Hepatitis C. The connection, however, is plausible, in view of the likely association of Hep C with Sjogren's syndrome, and the proven association of Hep C with cryoglobulinemia, a condition which can cause a sensory neuropathy.
Your brothers doctors seem to have taken all the appropriate measures to diagnose and treat the problem. Unfortunately, the results of damage to the sensory neurons can be devastating and permanent. We wish him the best of luck.
This information is provided for general medical educational purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options of your specific medical condition.