U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination

Paraplegia

MedGen UID:
45323
Concept ID:
C0030486
Disease or Syndrome
Synonym: Severe or complete loss of motor function in the lower extremities and lower portions of the trunk
SNOMED CT: Paraplegia (60389000); Paralysis of both lower limbs (60389000); Lower paraplegia (60389000); Paraplegia (complete or partial paralysis of legs) (60389000)
 
HPO: HP:0010550
Monarch Initiative: MONDO:0003757

Definition

Severe or complete weakness of both lower extremities with sparing of the upper extremities. [from HPO]

Conditions with this feature

Intradural spinal arachnoid cyst
MedGen UID:
83372
Concept ID:
C0344485
Disease or Syndrome
Spinal intradural arachnoid cysts are cerebrospinal fluid -filled sacs that are located between the spinal cord and the arachnoid membrane (one of the three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord). The signs and symptoms of the condition vary based on the size and location of the cysts. Some affected people may have no suspicious symptoms while others experience progressive back and leg pain; tingling or numbness in the hands or feet; weakness of the legs; and involuntary muscle spasms (spasticity) that result in slow, stiff movements of the legs. When present, symptoms usually occur when the cysts compress the spinal cord or other nearby nerves. Spinal intradural arachnoid cysts are often present at birth and arecaused by developmental abnormalities in the spinal cord that occur during the pregnancy. They can also result from a previous infection or injury and develop later in life. Although there is disagreement in the medical community regarding when to treat spinal intradural arachnoid cysts, the need for treatment generally depends on the size and location of the cyst and whether or not it is causing symptoms. When indicated, the cysts are typically treated with surgery.
MASA syndrome
MedGen UID:
162894
Concept ID:
C0795953
Disease or Syndrome
L1 syndrome involves a phenotypic spectrum ranging from severe to mild and includes three clinical phenotypes: X-linked hydrocephalus with stenosis of the aqueduct of Sylvius (HSAS). MASA (mental retardation [intellectual disability], aphasia [delayed speech], spastic paraplegia [shuffling gait], adducted thumbs) syndrome including X-linked complicated hereditary spastic paraplegia type 1. X-linked complicated corpus callosum agenesis. Males with HSAS are born with severe hydrocephalus, adducted thumbs, and spasticity; intellectual disability is severe. In less severely affected males, hydrocephalus may be subclinically present and documented only because of developmental delay; intellectual disability ranges from mild (IQ: 50-70) to moderate (IQ: 30-50). It is important to note that all phenotypes can be observed in affected individuals within the same family.
Hereditary spastic paraplegia 15
MedGen UID:
341387
Concept ID:
C1849128
Disease or Syndrome
Spastic paraplegia 15 (SPG15), typically an early-onset complex hereditary spastic paraplegia, is characterized by progressive spasticity that begins in the lower extremities and is associated with several manifestations resulting from central and peripheral nervous system dysfunction. While onset of spasticity is typically in mid- to late childhood or adolescence (i.e., between ages 5 and 18 years), other manifestations, such as developmental delay or learning disability, may be present earlier, often preceding motor involvement. Individuals with adult onset have also been reported.
Hereditary spastic paraplegia 4
MedGen UID:
401097
Concept ID:
C1866855
Disease or Syndrome
Spastic paraplegia 4 (SPG4; also known as SPAST-HSP) is characterized by insidiously progressive bilateral lower-limb gait spasticity. More than 50% of affected individuals have some weakness in the legs and impaired vibration sense at the ankles. Sphincter disturbances are very common. Onset is insidious, mostly in young adulthood, although symptoms may start as early as age one year and as late as age 76 years. Intrafamilial variation is considerable.
Hereditary spastic paraplegia 34
MedGen UID:
437069
Concept ID:
C2677897
Disease or Syndrome
A pure form of hereditary spastic paraplegia with late childhood to early adulthood-onset of slowly progressive spastic paraplegia with spastic gait and lower limb hyperreflexia, brisk tendon reflexes and ankle clonus. Lower limb pain and reduced lower limb vibratory sense is also reported in some older adult patients.
Amyloidosis, hereditary systemic 1
MedGen UID:
414031
Concept ID:
C2751492
Disease or Syndrome
Hereditary transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis is characterized by a slowly progressive peripheral sensorimotor and/or autonomic neuropathy as well as non-neuropathic changes of cardiomyopathy, nephropathy, vitreous opacities, and CNS amyloidosis. The disease usually begins in the third to fifth decade in persons from endemic foci in Portugal and Japan; onset is later in persons from other areas. Typically, sensory neuropathy starts in the lower extremities with paresthesias and hypesthesias of the feet, followed within a few years by motor neuropathy. In some persons, particularly those with early-onset disease, autonomic neuropathy is the first manifestation of the condition; findings can include: orthostatic hypotension, constipation alternating with diarrhea, attacks of nausea and vomiting, delayed gastric emptying, sexual impotence, anhidrosis, and urinary retention or incontinence. Cardiac amyloidosis is mainly characterized by progressive cardiomyopathy. Individuals with leptomeningeal amyloidosis may have the following CNS findings: dementia, psychosis, visual impairment, headache, seizures, motor paresis, ataxia, myelopathy, hydrocephalus, or intracranial hemorrhage.
Hereditary spastic paraplegia 3A
MedGen UID:
419393
Concept ID:
C2931355
Disease or Syndrome
Spastic paraplegia 3A (SPG3A; also known as ATL1-HSP) is characterized by progressive bilateral and mostly symmetric spasticity and weakness of the legs. Compared to other forms of autosomal dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), in which diminished vibration sense (caused by degeneration of the corticospinal tracts and dorsal columns) and urinary bladder hyperactivity are present in all affected individuals, these findings occur in a minority of individuals with SPG3A. The average age of onset is four years. More than 80% of reported individuals manifest spastic gait before the end of the first decade of life. Most persons with early-onset ATL1-HSP have a "pure" ("uncomplicated") HSP; however, complicated HSP with axonal motor neuropathy and/or distal amyotrophy with lower motor neuron involvement (Silver syndrome phenotype) has been observed. The rate of progression in ATL1-HSP is slow, and wheelchair dependency or need for a walking aid (cane, walker, or wheelchair) is relatively rare.
Spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia with joint laxity, type 1, with or without fractures
MedGen UID:
865814
Concept ID:
C4017377
Disease or Syndrome
Any spondyloepimetaphyseal dysplasia with joint laxity in which the cause of the disease is a mutation in the B3GALT6 gene.
MIRAGE syndrome
MedGen UID:
924576
Concept ID:
C4284088
Disease or Syndrome
MIRAGE syndrome is an acronym for the major findings of myelodysplasia, infection, restriction of growth, adrenal hypoplasia, genital phenotypes, and enteropathy. Cytopenias are typically seen soon after birth; thrombocytopenia is the most common followed by anemia and pancytopenia. Recurrent infections from early infancy include pneumonia, urinary tract infection, gastroenteritis, meningitis, otitis media, dermatitis, subcutaneous abscess, and sepsis. Reported genital phenotypes in those with 46,XY karyotype included hypospadias, microphallus, bifid shawl scrotum, ambiguous genitalia, or complete female genitalia. Hypoplastic or dysgenetic ovaries have been reported in females. Gastrointestinal complications include chronic diarrhea and esophageal dysfunction. Moderate-to-severe developmental delay is reported in most affected individuals. Autonomic dysfunction and renal dysfunction are also reported.

Professional guidelines

PubMed

Dong L, Zhuo X, Jiang Z
Asian J Surg 2024 Sep;47(9):4078-4079. Epub 2024 May 14 doi: 10.1016/j.asjsur.2024.05.034. PMID: 38749834
Vollhardt R, Arnulf I, Garcin B
JAMA Neurol 2022 Jun 1;79(6):627. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.0619. PMID: 35404382
Tweedy SM, Beckman EM, Geraghty TJ, Theisen D, Perret C, Harvey LA, Vanlandewijck YC
J Sci Med Sport 2017 Feb;20(2):108-115. Epub 2016 Mar 9 doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2016.02.001. PMID: 27185457

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Fink JK
Handb Clin Neurol 2023;196:59-88. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-323-98817-9.00022-3. PMID: 37620092
Murala S, Nagarajan E, Bollu PC
Neurol Sci 2021 Mar;42(3):883-894. Epub 2021 Jan 13 doi: 10.1007/s10072-020-04981-7. PMID: 33439395
Shribman S, Reid E, Crosby AH, Houlden H, Warner TT
Lancet Neurol 2019 Dec;18(12):1136-1146. Epub 2019 Jul 31 doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(19)30235-2. PMID: 31377012
Blackstone C
Handb Clin Neurol 2018;148:633-652. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-64076-5.00041-7. PMID: 29478605
Noreau A, Dion PA, Rouleau GA
Exp Cell Res 2014 Jul 1;325(1):18-26. Epub 2014 Mar 11 doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2014.02.021. PMID: 24631291

Diagnosis

Fink JK
Handb Clin Neurol 2023;196:59-88. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-323-98817-9.00022-3. PMID: 37620092
Vollhardt R, Arnulf I, Garcin B
JAMA Neurol 2022 Jun 1;79(6):627. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.0619. PMID: 35404382
Meyyazhagan A, Orlacchio A
Int J Mol Sci 2022 Feb 1;23(3) doi: 10.3390/ijms23031697. PMID: 35163618Free PMC Article
Murala S, Nagarajan E, Bollu PC
Neurol Sci 2021 Mar;42(3):883-894. Epub 2021 Jan 13 doi: 10.1007/s10072-020-04981-7. PMID: 33439395
Young BK
Adv Neurol 2002;90:271-6. PMID: 12068458

Therapy

Chen X, Dong T, Hu Y, De Pace R, Mattera R, Eberhardt K, Ziegler M, Pirovolakis T, Sahin M, Bonifacino JS, Ebrahimi-Fakhari D, Gray SJ
J Clin Invest 2023 May 15;133(10) doi: 10.1172/JCI164575. PMID: 36951961Free PMC Article
Champeaux-Depond C, Malcoci M, Birladeanu A
J Clin Neurosci 2022 Jul;101:276-277. Epub 2022 Jun 2 doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2022.05.025. PMID: 35660120
Griffin JM, Bradke F
EMBO Mol Med 2020 Mar 6;12(3):e11505. Epub 2020 Feb 24 doi: 10.15252/emmm.201911505. PMID: 32090481Free PMC Article
Whiting PF, Wolff RF, Deshpande S, Di Nisio M, Duffy S, Hernandez AV, Keurentjes JC, Lang S, Misso K, Ryder S, Schmidlkofer S, Westwood M, Kleijnen J
JAMA 2015 Jun 23-30;313(24):2456-73. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.6358. PMID: 26103030
Lancet 1953 Nov 21;265(6795):1089-90. PMID: 13110064

Prognosis

Cheng Z, Xu J, Guo Y
Heart Surg Forum 2021 May 25;24(3):E487-E492. doi: 10.1532/hsf.3731. PMID: 34173757
Bernstein CN, Nugent Z, Shaffer S, Singh H, Marrie RA
Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2021 Sep;54(5):637-651. Epub 2021 Jun 22 doi: 10.1111/apt.16444. PMID: 34156724
McKinley W, Hills A, Sima A
J Spinal Cord Med 2021 Mar;44(2):241-246. Epub 2019 Apr 2 doi: 10.1080/10790268.2019.1585135. PMID: 30939076Free PMC Article
Tokuda Y, Fujimoto K, Narita Y, Mutsuga M, Terazawa S, Ito H, Matsumura Y, Uchida W, Munakata H, Ashida S, Ono T, Nishi T, Yano D, Ishida S, Kuwabara F, Akita T, Usui A
Surg Today 2020 Feb;50(2):106-113. Epub 2019 Jul 22 doi: 10.1007/s00595-019-01853-2. PMID: 31332530
McLean AN
Clin Med (Lond) 2013 Dec;13(6):549-52. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.13-6-549. PMID: 24298098Free PMC Article

Clinical prediction guides

Saffari A, Kellner M, Jordan C, Rosengarten H, Mo A, Zhang B, Strelko O, Neuser S, Davis MY, Yoshikura N, Futamura N, Takeuchi T, Nabatame S, Ishiura H, Tsuji S, Aldeen HS, Cali E, Rocca C, Houlden H, Efthymiou S, Assmann B, Yoon G, Trombetta BA, Kivisäkk P, Eichler F, Nan H, Takiyama Y, Tessa A, Santorelli FM, Sahin M, Blackstone C, Yang E, Schüle R, Ebrahimi-Fakhari D
Brain 2023 May 2;146(5):2003-2015. doi: 10.1093/brain/awac391. PMID: 36315648Free PMC Article
Darios F, Coarelli G, Durr A
Curr Opin Neurobiol 2022 Feb;72:8-14. Epub 2021 Aug 14 doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.07.005. PMID: 34403957
Klebe S, Durr A, Bouslam N, Grid D, Paternotte C, Depienne C, Hanein S, Bouhouche A, Elleuch N, Azzedine H, Poea-Guyon S, Forlani S, Denis E, Charon C, Hazan J, Brice A, Stevanin G
Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2007 Oct 5;144B(7):854-61. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.b.30518. PMID: 17503452
Donovan WH, Brown DJ, Ditunno JF Jr, Dollfus P, Frankel HL
Spinal Cord 1997 May;35(5):275-81. doi: 10.1038/sj.sc.3100449. PMID: 9160450
SCHWARZ GA, LIU CN
AMA Arch Neurol Psychiatry 1956 Feb;75(2):144-62. doi: 10.1001/archneurpsyc.1956.02330200038005. PMID: 13282534

Recent systematic reviews

Maccora S, Torrente A, Di Stefano V, Lupica A, Iacono S, Pilati L, Pignolo A, Brighina F
Neurol Sci 2024 Mar;45(3):963-976. Epub 2023 Nov 16 doi: 10.1007/s10072-023-07200-1. PMID: 37968432Free PMC Article
Santos LV, Pereira ET, Reguera-García MM, Oliveira CEP, Moreira OC
J Bodyw Mov Ther 2022 Jan;29:154-160. Epub 2021 Oct 12 doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.09.031. PMID: 35248264
Crowley E, Harrison AJ, Lyons M
Sports Med 2017 Nov;47(11):2285-2307. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0730-2. PMID: 28497283
Whiting PF, Wolff RF, Deshpande S, Di Nisio M, Duffy S, Hernandez AV, Keurentjes JC, Lang S, Misso K, Ryder S, Schmidlkofer S, Westwood M, Kleijnen J
JAMA 2015 Jun 23-30;313(24):2456-73. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.6358. PMID: 26103030
Ruano L, Melo C, Silva MC, Coutinho P
Neuroepidemiology 2014;42(3):174-83. Epub 2014 Mar 5 doi: 10.1159/000358801. PMID: 24603320

Supplemental Content

Table of contents

    Clinical resources

    Practice guidelines

    • PubMed
      See practice and clinical guidelines in PubMed. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.
    • Bookshelf
      See practice and clinical guidelines in NCBI Bookshelf. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.

    Recent activity

    Your browsing activity is empty.

    Activity recording is turned off.

    Turn recording back on

    See more...