clinical features
Last reviewed 01/2018
The clinical features of tabes dorsalis include:
- sensory changes:
- lightning pains:
- often the earliest symptom
- typically in the calf or ankle
- loss of proprioception and vibration sense
- optic atrophy
- ataxia:
- due to defective proprioceptive and spinocerebellar sense
- Romberg positive
- reflexes:
- tendon reflexes are absent in the legs
- plantars are often upgoing
- abdominal reflexes may be exagerated
- Argyll-Roberson pupils are common
- bladder dysfunction may occur, rarely causing atonic bladder
- there may be ptosis