INFORMATION ON TABES DORSALIS.

Tabes dorsalis is a slow degeneration of the nerve cells and nerve fibers that carry sensory information to the brain. The degenerating nerves are in the dorsal columns of the spinal cord and carry information that help maintain a person's sense of position. Tabes dorsalis is the result of an untreated syphilis infection.

Tabes dorsalis: Slowly progressive degeneration of the spinal cord that occurs in the tertiary phase of syphilis a decade or more after originally contracting the infection.
Tabes is the Latin word for decay. The term Tabes dorsalis was devised in 1836 when the cause of the condition was thought to be wastage of the dorsal columns of the spinal cord, well before it was recognized as part of late syphilis.

SYNONYMS OF TABES DORSALIS

1. Tabes dorsalis
2. Tabetic Neurosyphilis
3. Progressive locomotor ataxia
4. Syphilitic posterior spinal sclerosis
5. Tabes Spinalis
6. Posterior spinal sclerosis
7. Locomotor ataxia

CAUSES OF TABES DORSALIS

This causes decreased muscle function, including progressive weakness of the legs, arms, and other areas. Loss of function may eventually result in paralysis. Tabes dorsalis is the result of an untreated syphilis infection.
Coordination difficulties contribute to problems walking. There are often changes in sensation, including painful Paresthesia, which are also referred to as "lightning pains."
The disease is more frequent in males than in females. Onset is commonly during mid-life. The incidence of tabes dorsalis is rising, in part due to co-associated HIV infection.

SYMPTOMS OF TABES DORSALIS

1. Symptoms are initial infection and include weakness, diminished reflexes, unsteady gait, progressive degeneration of the joints, loss of coordination, episodes of intense pain and disturbed sensation, personality changes, dementia, deafness, visual impairment, and impaired response to light.

2. Among the terrible features of tabes dorsalis are lancinating lightning-like pain, ataxia deterioration of the nerves to the eyes leading to blindness, urinary incontinence, loss of the sense of position, and degeneration of the joints.

DIAGNOSIS OF TABES DORSALIS

1. Confirmatory tests should be done on the spinal fluid and blood. There are two confirmatory tests for syphilis, namely the Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody Absorption and Micro Hemagglutination of Treponema Pallidum.

TREATMENT OF TABES DORSALIS

For neurosyphilis, aqueous penicillin G is the drug of choice. Some patients with penicillin allergies may undergo desensitization to penicillin so that they can be safely treated with it. Associated pain can be treated with opiates, valproate, or carbamazepine. Patients may also require physical or rehabilitative therapy to deal with muscle wasting and weakness. Preventive treatment for those who come into sexual contact with an individual with tabes dorsalis is important.