03015nas a2200253 4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653000900065653001100074653002100085653001100106653001100117653001200128653000900140653001600149653003000165100001300195245008100208300000900289490000700298520244200305022001402747 1976 d c1976 Mar10aAdult10aAged10aBrazil10aElectromyography10aFemale10aHumans10aleprosy10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aNeurologic Manifestations1 aSena P G00a[Electromyographic and neurological aspects of leprosy. Study of 100 cases]. a1-170 v343 a

By the neurological, electromyographic, anatomopathological and bacterioscopic examinations of 100 pacients with leprosy the following conclusions have been drawn: There was a high incidence of reflex abnormalities. The proprioceptive reflexes were abnormal in 64.5% and the superficial reflexes in 70.8% of the cases. According to the topography of the segments examined, the deep reflexes showed the following abnormal values: 25.3% in the cephalic segment; 69.1% in the upper limbs and 74.5% in the lower limbs. Of the 2,289 reflexes investigated, abnormalities were found in 773 superficial reflexes (70.8%), while in relation to the proprioceptive reflexes the figures rose to 901 (64.5%). In the early stages of the infirmity, the reflexes were normal in 41.2% of the cases examined, and in all the stages of the evolution of the disease those numbers were always high. Also in the first stage, whose average duration was of 4.9 years, several alternations were noted, although there was a predominance of brisk reflexes (25.1%) over diminshed reflexes (17%), followed by hyperactive (8.6%) and absent reflexes (8%). In the final stage of the infirmity there was a decrease of normal reflexes, in contrast to absent and decreased reflexes, whose rates increased to 32.7% and 30.6% respectively. The disappearance of hyperactive reflexes and the clear decrease of brisk reflexes should also be noted. There was a high percentage of patients (31%) who suffered agression of the eighth nerve, 17 of which (54.8%) were found to suffer from neural deafness. The values related to hearing deficit were rarely in accordance with the histopathological and bacterioscopic positive results. The indexes of abnormalities found out in the examination of the fifth and of the seven nerve (7% and 5% respectively) were much lower in relation to the eighth nerve. These results are in contradiction with the ones stated in the literature. In some of the patients, hyperesthesia of the skin of the plantar region prognosticated the appearance of the infirmity. Among the objective changes, anesthesia of superficial sensibilities combined with deep hyperesthesia and anesthesia of superficial sensibilities with abolition of profound sensibilities were rarely observed. No case was found with exclusive alterations of deep sensibilities. Peripheral motor neuron lesions demonstrable by electromyography were observed in 82 patients (82%)...

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