What is multifocal motor neuropathy?

Multifocal motor neuropathy is a very rare progressive muscle disorder that causes progressive weakening of muscles suffering over the years. It is an autoimmune disorder in which the human immune system begins to poorly identify nerve cells as foreign organisms, causing it to attack the motor nerve fibers of man and myelin cloak surrounding the nerves. Damage begins to disturb nerve transmission to muscles, resulting in gradual reduction of strength. For reasons that are still not understood, the damage is concentrated in the fibers of the motor nerves; Sensory nerves are spared, and therefore multifocal motor neuropathy does not cause significant sensory damage. Symptoms are often observed in the muscles associated with ulnar, radial and medium nerves in the arms and common peronal nerves in the legs. As it proceeds, multifocal motor neuropathy causes increasing muscle weakness and reduced muscle mass. The disease does not proceed symmetrically and one can have symptoms indifferent muscles on different sides of the body.

The disorder is accompanied by convulsions and muscle twitching, called fasciculations that are not necessarily limited to the same areas of the body area suffering from muscle weakness. The feeling in the affected areas remains intact, although some suffering experience armor or dullness. The condition is rarely fatal, but if it is not treated, it can eventually cause significant disability.

Multifocal motor neuropathy is sometimes wrong with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. However, multifocal motor neuropathy is not so fast and, unlike ALS, is treatable. It is a rare condition that affects approximately one person per 100,000 and is approximately three times more common in men than in women. The final cause of the immune system failure, which results in the symptoms of multifocal motor neuropathy, is unknown. Women with this condition sometimes experienceworsening of symptoms during pregnancy.

Multifocal motor neuropathy is treated with immunomodulatory therapy to stop the immune system attacks on motor nerves suffering. The most common treatment for this purpose is intravenous immunoglobulin, a blood product containing densely concentrated antibodies from blood donors. Immunosuppressive cyclophosphamide is also sometimes used intravenously, although it can have serious side effects and is usually used only in cases where the treatment of intravenous immunoglobulin has proved unsuccessful.