Open AccessClinical mimickers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-conditions we cannot afford to miss
Author(s) -
Nishita Singh,
Sucharita Ray,
Achal Srivastava
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
annals of indian academy of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.427
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1998-3549
pISSN - 0972-2327
DOI - 10.4103/aian.aian_491_17
Subject(s) - medicine , amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , wasting , weakness , dysphagia , physical medicine and rehabilitation , intensive care medicine , pediatrics , disease , pathology , surgery
Giving a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to a patient is akin to handing out a death certificate. However, not all patients presenting with the classical dysphagia, wasting, and weakness may have motor neuron diseases. In these cases, it is extremely important not to miss little cues which can suggest an alternative diagnosis and in many cases a lease of life in terms of a treatment option. In this review, we consider some clinical scenarios that can present with the same symptom complex as diseases involving motor neurons but have a different anatomical or etiopathological basis and in many cases even a therapeutic option.