Sensorimotor polyneuropathy

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Central nervous system

Polyneuropathy - sensorimotor

• Decreased feeling in any area of the body
• Difficulty swallowing
• Difficulty using the arms or hands
• Difficulty using the legs or feet
• Difficulty walking
• Pain, burning, tingling, or abnormal feeling in any area of the body (called neuralgia)
• Weakness of the face, arms, or legs, or any area of the body

Symptoms may develop quickly (as in Guillain-Barre syndrome) or slowly over weeks to years. Symptoms usually occur on both sides of the body. Most often, they start at the ends of the toes first.

An exam may show:

• Decreased feeling (may affect touch, pain, vibration, or position sensation)
• Diminished reflexes (ankle most commonly)
• Muscle atrophy
• Muscle twitches (fasciculations)
• Muscle weakness
• Paralysis

Tests may include:

• Biopsy
• Blood tests
• Electrical test of the muscles (EMG)
• Electrical test of nerve conduction
• X-rays or other imaging tests

Review Date: 02/06/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Department of Neurolosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, and Department of Anatomy at UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).

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