Question

Kimberly, age 51, presents with a rapidly progressive weakness of her legs that is moving up the trunk. She also has hyporeflexia and no sensory change. What do you suspect?

Answer 1

Kimberly's rapidly progressive leg weakness moving up the trunk with hyporeflexia and absence of sensory changes is suggestive of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a condition where the immune system damages peripheral nerves.

Step-by-step explanation:

If Kimberly, age 51, presents with rapidly progressive weakness of her legs that is ascending to the trunk and accompanied by hyporeflexia without sensory change, this clinical picture is suggestive of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Guillain-Barré syndrome is an acute, autoimmune condition where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks peripheral nerves and damages myelin, leading to muscle weakness and paralysis that typically starts from the legs and moves upwards. The absence of sensory change and presence of hyporeflexia or areflexia (absence of reflexes) are important diagnostic clues. The rapid progression over a period of hours to days is also characteristic of Guillain-Barré syndrome. While other conditions like myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) might also cause progressive weakness, the patterns of onset and associated symptoms usually differ, and they do not typically present with rapidly ascending paralysis.