This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Clinical features of motor neurone disease

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Presentation of motor neurone disease depends on the particular pathways involved:

  • combined upper and lower motor neurone features are present in 65% of cases
  • bulbar features are present in 25%
  • muscle weakness and atrophy are present in 10%

Features usually develop gradually. The initial complaint is often non-specific, e.g. a weakening hand grip.

Characteristic complaints:

  • hand - wasting, weakness, fasciculation
  • bulbar involvement - dysarthria and dysphagia
  • lower limb - weakness with spasticity
  • difficulty in breathing

Characteristic negative features:

  • no sensory loss or cognitive loss c.f. MS
  • sphincters are never affected } c.f. myasthenia
  • ocular muscles are never affected } gravis

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.