Diagnostic Tests for Adrenoleukodystrophy
Adrenoleukodystrophy Tests: Book Excerpts
Home Diagnostic Testing
These home medical tests may be relevant to Adrenoleukodystrophy:
- Fatigue: Related Home Tests:
- Adrenal Gland Health: Home Testing:
- Nerve Neuropathy: Related Home Testing:
- Brain & Neurological Disorders: Related Home Testing:
Adrenoleukodystrophy Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Diagnostic Tests for Adrenoleukodystrophy: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the diagnostic tests for Adrenoleukodystrophy.
Muscle spasticity [Muscle hypertonicity]:
History and physical examination
(Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition))
When you detect spasticity, ask the patient about its onset, duration, and progression. What, if any, events precipitate its onset? Has he experienced other muscular changes or related symptoms? Does his medical history reveal an incidence of trauma or a degenerative or vascular disease?
Take the patient’s vital signs, and perform a complete neurologic examination. Test reflexes and evaluate motor and sensory function in all limbs. Evaluate muscles for wasting and contractures.
During your examination, keep in mind that generalized spasticity and trismus in a patient with a recent skin puncture or laceration indicates tetanus. If you suspect this rare disorder, look for signs of respiratory distress. Provide ventilatory support, if necessary, and monitor the patient closely.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition), 2006
Gait, spastic [Hemiplegic gait]:
History and physical examination
(Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition))
Find out when the patient first noticed the gait impairment and whether it developed suddenly or gradually. Ask him if it waxes and wanes, or if it has worsened progressively. Does fatigue, hot weather, or warm baths or showers worsen the gait? Such exacerbation typically occurs in multiple sclerosis. Focus your medical history questions on neurologic disorders, recent head trauma, and degenerative diseases.
During the physical examination, test and compare strength, range of motion (ROM), and sensory function in all limbs. Also, observe and palpate for muscle flaccidity or atrophy.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition), 2006
Skin, bronze:
History and physical examination
(Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition))
Begin by asking the patient when the hyperpigmentation first appeared. Has its hue changed? When was he last exposed to the sun or artificial tanning source? Also, ask about a history of infection, illness, surgery, or trauma. Does he have abdominal pain, weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, or constipation? Has he recently lost weight? If the patient is receiving maintenance therapy for adrenal insufficiency, has his dosage been increased?
Examine the mucosa, gums, and scars for hyperpigmentation. Check for signs of dehydration and for abdominal distention, loss of body hair, and tissue and muscle wasting. Palpate for hepatosplenomegaly.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition), 2006
Muscle spasticity [Muscle hypertonicity]:
History and physical examination
(Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition))
Once you detect spasticity, ask the patient about its onset, duration, and progression. What, if any, events precipitate onset? Has he experienced other muscular changes or related symptoms? Does his medical history reveal any incidence of trauma or degenerative or vascular disease?
Take the patient’s vital signs, and perform a complete neurologic examination. Test reflexes and evaluate motor and sensory function in all limbs. Evaluate muscles for wasting and contractures.
During your examination, keep in mind that generalized spasticity and trismus in a patient with a recent skin puncture or laceration indicates tetanus. If you suspect this rare disorder, look for signs of respiratory distress. Provide ventilatory support, if necessary, and monitor the patient closely.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition), 2006
Gait, spastic [Hemiplegic gait]:
History and physical examination
(Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition))
Find out when the patient first noticed the gait impairment and whether it developed suddenly or gradually. Ask him if it waxes and wanes or if it has worsened progressively. Does fatigue, hot weather, or warm baths or showers worsen the gait? Such exacerbation typically occurs in multiple sclerosis. Focus your medical history questions on neurologic disorders, recent head trauma, and degenerative diseases.
During the physical examination, test and compare strength, range of motion, and sensory function in all limbs. Also, observe and palpate for muscle flaccidity or atrophy.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition), 2006
Peripheral Neuropathy:
Diagnostic Approach
(Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis)
Sensory neuropathy symptoms include positive phenomena such as tingling; pins/needles; and burning, cold, or lancinating pain. Physical findings include weakness, fasciculations, atrophy, ataxia, wide-based gait, abnormal sweating, decreased or absent deep tendon reflexes, orthostatic hypotension, hypesthesia surrounded by a zone of hyperesthesia, and vibration or position sense affected before pinprick or temperature sense.
Autonomic neuropathy symptoms include impotence, retrograde ejaculation, diaphoresis, incontinence, urinary retention, constipation, diarrhea, orthostatic dizziness, and flushing. Physical findings include delayed pupillary light response, resting tachycardia, sinus arrhythmia, and orthostatic hypotension.
Sensory loss confined to part of a limb suggests injury to a peripheral nerve, plexus, or spinal root, resulting from trauma, entrapment, or vascular insufficiency. Mononeuropathy multiplex affects multiple nerves over time (e.g., due to diabetes or vasculitis). Polyneuropathy occurs in a stocking-glove distribution starting with the longest nerves, and is due to axonal neuropathy, with a toxic or metabolic origin. Bilaterally symmetrical symptoms are found in polyneuropathy or spinal cord lesions, while unilateral involvement is seen in contralateral disease of the brainstem, thalamus, or cortex.
Injury to large myelinated nerves produces decreased light touch and proprioception with a sensation of “walking on a thick carpet” or imbalance. Injury to medium fibers causes decreased light touch and vibration sense. Injury to small unmyelinated fibers, as occurs in diabetes or amyloidosis, decreases pain and temperature sensation and produces dysesthesias. Disproportionate loss of vibration sense and proprioception compared with pain and temperature sensation occurs with diseases of the dorsal column of the spinal cord (e.g., neurosyphilis, vitamin B 12 deficiency, or multiple sclerosis) and demyelinating polyneuropathy.
Transverse cord lesions produce loss of all modalities below the level of the lesion and a band of hyperalgesia at the level of the lesion. Lateral cord compression is heralded by early sensory changes. Dorsal cord compression affects proprioception and tactile discrimination without pain or temperature loss. Pernicious anemia and tabes dorsalis preferentially affect the dorsal columns.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis, 2007
Skin, bronze:
Physical assessment
(Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses)
Examine the mucosa, gums, and scars for hyperpigmentation. Check for signs of dehydration and for abdominal distention, loss of body hair, and tissue and muscle wasting. Palpate for hepatosplenomegaly.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses, 2007
Muscle spasticity:
Physical assessment
(Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses)
Take the patient’s vital signs, and perform a complete neurologic assessment. Test reflexes and evaluate motor and sensory function in all limbs. Evaluate muscles for wasting and contractures.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses, 2007
Muscle spasticity [Muscle hypertonicity]:
History and physical examination
(Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms)
When you detect muscle spasticity, ask the patient about its onset, duration, and progression. What, if any, events precipitate its onset? Has he experienced other muscular changes or related symptoms? Does his medical history reveal an incidence of trauma or a degenerative or vascular disease?
Take the patient's vital signs, and perform a complete neurologic and musculoskeletal examination. Test reflexes and evaluate motor and sensory function in all limbs. Evaluate muscles for wasting and contractures.
Alert
During your examination, keep in mind that generalized spasticity and trismus in a patient with a recent skin puncture or laceration indicates tetanus. If you suspect this rare disorder, look for signs of respiratory distress. Provide ventilatory support, if necessary, and monitor the patient closely.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms, 2007
Gait, spastic [Hemiplegic gait]:
History and physical examination
(Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms)
Find out when the patient first noticed the gait impairment and whether it developed suddenly or gradually. Ask him if it waxes and wanes, or if it has worsened progressively. Does fatigue, hot weather, or warm baths or showers worsen the gait? Such exacerbation typically occurs in multiple sclerosis. Focus your medical history questions on neurologic disorders, recent head trauma, and degenerative diseases.
During the physical examination, test and compare strength, range of motion (ROM), and sensory function in all limbs. Also, observe and palpate for muscle flaccidity or atrophy.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms, 2007
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