Objective: We evaluated ALS patients reporting pain, either generalized or localized, at disease onset and determined whether this feature defined a specific ALS phenotype.
Patients And Methods: We considered all consecutive ALS patients referred to our Motor Neuron Diseases Center between 2006 and 2016 and included only patients who fulfilled the El Escorial revised criteria for probable and definite ALS diagnosis. We then identified those cases who reported pain at disease onset and compared them to all remaining cases. Secondary causes of pain have been excluded.
Results: Our initial sample consisted of 108 patients (55 men and 53 women). We identified 5 cases with generalized pain and 16 cases with localized pain at disease onset, corresponding to 4.6% and 14.8% of the initial sample, respectively. Cases with generalized pain were all female and had an earlier disease onset (49.6 ± 1.5 vs 66.6 ± 10.2 yrs, p = 0.002). Cases with localized pain showed a preponderance of upper motor neuron symptoms/signs at disease onset. Patients with pain, either localized or generalized, had a significantly higher involvement of the limbs (82.6% vs 100%, p = 0.022), while the bulbar district was spared at disease onset (17.4% vs 0%, p = 0.008). More specifically, the proximal upper and distal lower limbs were more frequently affected by ALS in patients with pain at disease onset. In two cases, the clinical presentation was notable for the resemblance with complex regional pain syndrome.
Conclusion: The presence of pain at disease onset seems to relate to peculiar clinical features of ALS and may be pathophysiologically associated with neurodegeneration.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clineuro.2019.105540 | DOI Listing |
J Clin Immunol
January 2025
Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
Reduced function or hypomorphic variants in recombination-activating genes (RAG) 1 or 2 result in a broad clinical phenotype including common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and even adult-onset disease. Milder RAG variants are less characterized. Here we describe the longitudinal course of a milder combined RAG deficiency in 3 of 7 siblings sharing the same RAG2 mutations over a 50-year study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurol
January 2025
Neurological Institute, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Objective: This study aims to evaluate our experience in the diagnosis of hereditary ataxias (HAs), to analyze data from a real-world scenario.
Study Design: This is a retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted at a single Italian adult neurogenetic outpatient clinic, in 147 patients affected by ataxia with a suspicion of hereditary forms, recruited from November 1999 to February 2024. A stepwise approach for molecular diagnostics was applied: targeted gene panel (TP) next-generation sequencing (NGS) and/or clinical exome sequencing (CES) were performed in the case of inconclusive first-line genetic testing, such as short tandem repeat expansions (TREs) testing for most common spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA1-3, 6-8,12,17, DRPLA), other forms [Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) and mitochondrial DNA-related ataxia, RFC1-related ataxia/CANVAS] or inconclusive phenotype-guided specific single gene sequencing.
Rheumatol Int
January 2025
Department of Rheumatology, Immunology and Internal Medicine, University Hospital in Kraków, Kraków, Poland.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune rheumatic disease (ARD) that results from the dysregulation of multiple innate and adaptive immune pathways. Late-onset SLE (Lo-SLE) is the term used when the disease is first diagnosed after 50-65 years, though the standard age cut-off remains undefined. Defining "late-onset" as lupus with onset after 50 years is more biologically plausible as this roughly corresponds to the age of menopause.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurol
January 2025
Division of Child Neurology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Background: The presented study identified the appropriate ocrelizumab dosing regimen for patients with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS).
Methods: Patients with POMS aged 10-17 years were enrolled into cohort 1 (body weight [BW] < 40 kg, ocrelizumab 300 mg) and cohort 2 (BW ≥ 40 kg, ocrelizumab 600 mg) during a 24-week dose-exploration period (DEP), followed by an optional ocrelizumab (given every 24 weeks) extension period.
Primary Endpoints: pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics (CD19 B-cell count); secondary endpoint: safety; exploratory endpoints: MRI activity, protocol-defined relapses, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score change.
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol
January 2025
Weatherhead P.E.T. Imaging Center, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, Texas, USA.
An increasing number of procedures over the past two decades for aortic stenosis (AS) reflects the combination of an aging population and less invasive transcatheter options. As a result, the hemodynamics of the aortic valve (AV) have gained renewed interest to understand its behavior and to optimize patient selection. We studied the hemodynamic relationship between pressure loss (ΔP) and transvalvular flow (Q) of the normal AV as well as the impact of a variable supravalvular stenosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!