Tabes dorsalis

Tabes dorsalis, is a slow degeneration (specifically, demyelination) of the neural tracts primarily in the dorsal columns (posterior columns) of the spinal cord (the portion closest to the back of the body) and dorsal roots. These nerves normally help maintain a person's sense of position (proprioception), vibration, and discriminative touch. Tabes dorsalis, is a slow degeneration (specifically, demyelination) of the neural tracts primarily in the dorsal columns (posterior columns) of the spinal cord (the portion closest to the back of the body) and dorsal roots. These nerves normally help maintain a person's sense of position (proprioception), vibration, and discriminative touch. Signs and symptoms may not appear for decades after the initial infection and include weakness, diminished reflexes, paresthesias (shooting and burning pains, pricking sensations, and formication), hypoesthesias (abnormally diminished cutaneous, especially tactile, sensory modalities), tabetic gait (locomotor ataxia), progressive degeneration of the joints, loss of coordination, episodes of intense pain and disturbed sensation (including glossodynia), personality changes, urinary incontinence, dementia, deafness, visual impairment, positive Romberg's test, and impaired response to light (Argyll Robertson pupil). The skeletal musculature is hypotonic due to destruction of the sensory limb of the spindle reflex. The deep tendon reflexes are also diminished or absent; for example, the 'knee jerk' or patellar reflex may be lacking (Westphal's sign). A complication of tabes dorsalis can be transient neuralgic paroxysmal pain affecting the eyes and the ophthalmic areas, previously called 'Pel's crises' after Dutch physician P.K. Pel. Now more commonly called 'tabetic ocular crises', an attack is characterized by sudden, intense eye pain, tearing of the eyes and sensitivity to light.