What is astasia-abasia? The answer to this difficult medical question will be presented below. We will also tell about how the mentioned disease manifests itself, what causes its development, how it is diagnosed and treated.
basic information
What is a disease like astasia-abasia? The name of this disease consists of two words. Consider the meaning of each right now.
The term "astasia" is of Greek origin and is translated as "standing" or "posture". In other words, it means the inability to stand, which is caused by a violation of the coordination of the muscle tissues of the body during lesions of the (extensive) corpus callosum and frontal lobes of the brain. It should also be noted that the disease in question often develops with hysterical syndrome and may be a sign of cortical ataxia.
What is abasia? This term also comes from the Greek word and means "walking." In medical practice, this word is used to indicate a loss of walking ability. As a rule, such a pathological condition occurs in diseases of the National Assembly, associated with motor disorders of the legs and balance disorders of the body. In this case, the patient can carry out movements of the lower extremities, but only in a lying state.
Most often, astasia-abasia develops in a complex. These diseases are not considered separately.
Forms of the disease
Astasia-abasia can occur in various forms. Specialists distinguish between paralytic, tremor, choreic and spastic forms.
Also, this disease is divided into the following types:
- Frontal astasia-abasia usually develops with lesions of the frontal lobes of the brain. In this case, the patient is not able to walk, stand and even sit. Such a disease is often combined with other symptoms of brain damage, including slurred speech, oral automatisms, smacking, stretching the lips with a tube and so on.
- Subcortical disease develops with damage to the thalamus and subcortical ganglia. With such a deviation, a person is able to stand and walk, but only with support. In a standing position without support, he falls back or forward, but with the support of his arms he can perform simple movements that mimic walking.
- The psychogenic type of the disease is associated with hysteria. All violations of muscle tone and coordination of a person are associated with a traumatic situation (illness of a loved one, severe resentment, etc.). This syndrome is stopped when resolving the problems that have arisen.
Development reasons
Why does physiological astasia-abasia occur? The cause of the development of such a condition can be a disease or a process that violates the structure of the cerebellum, lobes of the frontal brain, corpus callosum, subcortical ganglia, as well as the pathways connecting these areas with other brain departments.
Also, astasia-abasia syndrome often occurs due to:
- injuries to the cranium and brain, as well as their consequences;
- brain tumors, including cerebellum;
- cerebral hemorrhages;
- acute stroke or chronic cerebrovascular accident;
- demyelinating diseases, which are accompanied by the breakdown of myelin (that is, protein, which ensures the rapid conduct of impulses along nerve fibers);
- abscess of the cerebellum or brain;
- neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Levy bodies, Peak's disease ;
- hysteria.
The main symptoms of the disease
The main sign of the development of the disease in question is the person's inability to walk. In this case, the patient constantly maintains a supine position. He cannot get up on his own and walk even a few meters (due to severe dizziness and impaired coordination of movements). Moreover, in the supine position, the patient is able to actively move his body and limbs.
When trying to put the patient on his feet, he begins to actively clutch at any support. The patient also widely spreads his legs in order to maintain his balance.
Diagnostics
To diagnose this disease, you should consult a doctor. In this case, the doctor must first of all interview the patient. In the process, he finds out:
- how long the patient developed an inability to walk;
- whether he can move his lower limbs with support under his arms or not;
- how quickly the disease progressed.
It should be noted that the diagnosis of astasia-abasia is based on the following actions of a specialist:
- Neurological examination, which assesses muscle strength and muscle tone in the sitting and lying position, checks the coordination of movements (in the supine position), as well as maintaining balance in the Romberg position. In addition, reflexes on the arms and legs are evaluated.
- CT and MRI of the head. Their implementation allows layer-by-layer to study the structure of the brain and identify the true cause of the disease.
- Inspection by a psychiatrist, during which the presence of a traumatic situation is detected.
- Consultation of a doctor of exercise therapy.
Astasia-abasia: treatment
Treatment of this condition should be aimed at eliminating the underlying disease. Typically, the treatment of this disease is carried out by:
- Surgical removal of the tumor.
- Surgical removal of an abscess from the cranial cavity.
- Antibacterial treatment to suppress infection as soon as possible.
- Removal of hemorrhage, if such a pathology is available for surgical intervention.
It should also be noted that in cases of cerebrovascular accident, the patient normalizes blood pressure and gives drugs that improve metabolism and cerebral blood flow.
In addition, for the treatment of astasia-abasia are provided:
- Classes with an exercise therapy specialist (training to maintain coordination of movements, balance and muscle strength training).
- Taking medications that improve brain nutrition.
Preventative measures
Prevention of astasia-abasia includes:
- Maintaining healthy lifestyle.
- Timely contact a doctor in case of various symptoms of the disease.
- Balanced diet.
- Refusal from drinking alcohol and smoking.
- Regular blood pressure monitoring.