Autonomic neuropathies.

Autonomic neuropathies represent a complex group of disorders that preferentially target autonomic fibers and can be classified as either acute/subacute or chronic in onset. Acute-onset autonomic neuropathies manifest with such conditions as paraneoplastic syndromes, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Sjögren syndrome, infection, or toxins/chemotherapy. When the presentation is acute, immune-mediated, and without a secondary cause, autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy is likely, and should be considered for immunotherapy. Of the chronic-onset forms, diabetes is the most widespread and disabling, with autonomic impairment portending increased mortality and cardiac wall remodeling risk. Acquired light chain (AL) and transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis represent two other key etiologies, with TTR amyloidosis now amenable to newly-approved gene-modifying therapies. The COMPASS-31 questionnaire is a validated outcome measure that can be used to monitor autonomic severity and track treatment response. Symptomatic treatments targeting orthostatic hypotension, among other symptoms, should be individualized and complement disease-modifying therapy, when possible.

Thiamine Deficiency With Mashed Potatoes: A Novel Case of Wernicke Encephalopathy Manifesting With Retinal Hemorrhages in a Pediatric Patient.

We present a case report of a 17-year-old obese female with one-week onset of progressive confusion and double vision, associated with 50-pound weight loss in five months. On fundus examination, retinal hemorrhages and abnormalities of eye movements were seen. MRI showed abnormalities that were consistent with diagnosis of Wernicke encephalopathy (WE). Thiamine replacement caused gradual improvement in patient's symptoms. Peripapillary hemorrhages on fundus examination, as seen in our patient, have been rarely seen in WE. Obesity with retinal hemorrhages, diplopia, etc. can be misleading due to idiopathic intracranial hypertension being the most common presentation in this subset. Thus, fundoscopy should be part of routine examination in WE-suspected patients.

Neurosyphilis: mighty imitator forays with benign presentation and unique neuroimaging findings.

Background Common causes of temporal lobe hyper intensities are central nervous system infections like herpes simplex encephalitis, Lyme disease, limbic encephalitis and vascular pathology like Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy. METHODS: Personal assessment, laboratory data analysis and neuroimaging for the patient who was admitted to a central Pennsylvania tertiary care referral centre were conducted. RESULTS: A 52-year-old male presented with a 1-year history of diffuse dysesthesia in upper and lower extremities with associated intermittent headaches and neck stiffness. Evaluation with lumbar puncture revealed increased nucleated cells (50ul) with lymphocytic predominance (96%) and an elevated protein level of 109mg/dl. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed T2/FLAIR hyper intensity in bilateral subcortical temporal white matter, left-greater-than-right and associated volume loss in cerebral parenchyma. Additional abnormal work up included reactive serum reactive plasma regain and Treponema pallidum antibody particle agglutination. Diagnosis of neurosyphilis was made and the patient was treated with intramuscular (IM) penicillin for 3 weeks. At the time of discharge, his headache and neck stiffness resolved and dysesthesias were decreased in intensity. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of neurosyphilis is intricate, and no reference standard exists. Neuroimaging findings of neurosyphilis commonly are cerebral infarctions, leptomeningeal enhancement or non-specific white matter lesions. Less common features on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences are cortical atrophy and mesial temporal parenchymal signal changes. It is prudent to keep neurosyphilis in differential of mesial temporal lobe white matter changes, as early diagnosis and treatment results in better prognosis.