Question

Clinical Correlations Clinical Case 4 A 60-year-old woman complains of falls, imbalance, and numbness and tingling in her hands and legs. There is also some incoordination of hand use and she has difficulty manipulating small items such as buttons. She is unable to play the piano now since she cannot position her fingers correctly on the piano keys. She thinks the strength in her arms and legs is adequate. Symptoms started with very slight tingling sensations, which she noticed about 5 years ago. The falls and difficulty walking have been present for about 2 months. Higher order cognitive functions are intact according to her husband, Her vision is normal. On examination, the patient shows normal mental status. Strength seems ess normal throughout. Sensation, particularly to vibration and joint position, is severely diminished in the distal upper and lower limbs (arms, legs, hands, and feet). Tendon reflexes are normal in the arms, but somewhat brisk in the legs at the knees and ankles. Gait is moderately ataxic and she has to reach out for support by touching the walls of the hallway at times. Fine movements of the fingers are performed poorly, even though finger and wrist strength seems normal.

what is the patient suffering from?

Answer 1

The patient is suffering from peripheral neuropathy.

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition where an individual will feel or suffer from the tingling sensation and the numbness over the peripheral areas of the body like limbs. Most likely it can be caused due to the deficiency of vitamin in the patient.