Neurology - Special interest

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. Parkinsonism is defined as bradykinesia in combination with at least one of rest tremor or rigidity. Parkinson's disease is a clinical diagnosis. Examination should include gait and posture, decreased blink rate and a lack of spontaneous facial movements. Speech will be hypophonic. Evidence of a resting tremor should be sought and the patient assessed for joint rigidity and bradykinesia. After initial assessment, prompt referral to a neurologist is important to confirm the diagnosis and discuss management.

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder of neuromuscular junction transmission. It is relatively rare, with an approximate annual incidence of 1 per 100,000 population, and prevalence of 15 per 100,000 population in the UK. An ocular presentation may include fatiguing ptosis or diplopia. Typically, symptoms ‘fatigue’ (the physical power of the muscle deteriorates rapidly with repeated activity) and become more noticeable as the day progresses. More generalised symptoms include fatiguing difficulty with speech or swallowing. There may be fatiguing weakness of the arms and legs. The diagnosis will usually be confirmed by referral to a neurologist. 

Neuropathic pain is defined as ‘pain that is caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system.’ The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) pain grading system is a simple way of determining the likelihood of a neuropathic component. If the history suggests a relevant neurological lesion or disease and the patient describes pain in an anatomically plausible distribution of a nerve, neuropathic pain is ‘possible’; it is ‘probable’ if there are corresponding examination findings in that same distribution and ‘definite’ if there is a confirmatory diagnostic test. 

Nocturnal epilepsies account for 10-15% of all epilepsies, and 80% of nocturnal epilepsies in adults are focal. They present a diagnostic challenge as they can be difficult to differentiate from normal movements and behaviour during sleep and also from several non-epileptic, sleep-related, motor and behavioural disorders. More than 90% of the seizures in sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy (SHE) occur during sleep. Seizures in SHE are simple partial seizures which easily wake the patient so that they will usually be able to recall the seizures, often describing auras of somatic sensations or feeling unable to breathe. SHE seizures have a rapid onset and offset, a short duration (usually < 2 min), and a stereotyped motor pattern for that individual.

The prevalence of sleep complaints in adults in a primary care setting is > 10%. The most frequently seen condition by far is that of primary insomnia, which affects 10% of adults on a chronic basis. In contrast to primary insomnia, in which most patients report tiredness and fatigue during the day but are unable to sleep during the day either, the second most frequent sleep disorder encountered, obstructive sleep apnoea, is typified by excessive daytime sleepiness. Patients with primary insomnia or fatigue syndromes typically will score low on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS < 3) whereas those with organic sleep pathologies or sleep restriction will score higher. A score > 10 is seen as 'pathological', with a mean ESS in the population of 5-6.