Spastic paraplegia, hereditary
Introduction
Hereditary spastic paraplegia isa general term for a group of rare inherited disorders that cause weakness and stiffness in the leg muscles. Symptoms gradually get worse over time.
It's also known as familial spastic paraparesis or Strmpell-Lorrain syndrome.
It's difficult to know exactly how many people have hereditary spastic paraplegia because it's often misdiagnosed. It's thought to affect about 3 in every 100,000people.
This page covers:
Spastic paraplegia, hereditary
Diagnosis
Treatment
Complications
Outlook
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 6 Sep 2016
Introduction
Find out about hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a rare group of inherited disorders that often cause weakness and stiffness in the leg muscles, which gradually gets worse over time.
Symptoms of hereditary spastic paraplegia
The severity and progression of symptoms will vary from person to person. About 90% of people with hereditary spastic paraplegia have a pure form. Their symptoms are mainly confined to lower limb wea
What causes hereditary spastic paraplegia?
Most people withpurehereditary spastic paraplegia will have inherited a faulty gene from one of their parents. People with the complicated form of the condition will have usually inherited a faulty g
Diagnosinghereditary spastic paraplegia
Hereditary spastic paraplegia is diagnosed following a thorough clinical examination and the identification of typical symptoms. Other conditions that causemobilityproblems and muscle stiffness and w
Treating hereditary spastic paraplegia
It isn't possible to prevent, slow or reverse hereditary spastic paraplegia, but some of the symptoms can be managed so that day-to-day activities become easier. Forexample: muscle relaxants such
Complications of hereditary spastic paraplegia
Possiblecomplications of hereditary spastic paraplegia include: shortening and hardening of the calf muscles having regular physiotherapy may help prevent this cold feet this is fairly common a
Outlook
The outlook for people with hereditary spastic paraplegia varies. Some people are severely affected and need a wheelchair, while others have mild symptoms and don't needto use a mobility aid. The con
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