Debilidad Muscular: Lo Que Todo Médico en Emergencias Debe Saber
Debilidad Muscular: Lo Que Todo Médico en Emergencias Debe Saber
Debilidad Muscular: Lo Que Todo Médico en Emergencias Debe Saber
1. Médico Residente
Resumen Abstract de Medicina de
Emergencias.
La debilidad muscular es uno de los Muscle weakness is one of the most Sistema de Estudios
de Postgrado
motivos de consulta más común de los common complaints of the patients that Universidad de Costa
pacientes que visitan los servicios de require attention in the national emergency Rica. Hospital Dr.
emergencias. El diagnóstico diferencial es departments. There are multiple causes of Rafael Ángel Calderón
Guardia, San José,
muy extenso, incluye enfermedades muy muscle weakness, but just a few etiologies
Costa Rica.
distintas entre sí, pero existe un número should be thought first, because they are
reducido de causas que deben descartarse potentially lethal, since some of them may 2. Médico Asistente
de primero, ya que podrían terminar en falla produce respiratory arrest. That is the reason Especialista en
Medicina de
ventilatoria. Por lo anterior, es importante why an algorithm is needed for approaching Emergencias. Hospital
tener un algoritmo para abordar a los patients with weakness at the emergency Dr. Rafael Ángel
pacientes con debilidad muscular en la sala room, which could guide the clinician through Calderón Guardia,
San José, Costa Rica.
de emergencias, mediante el cual se oriente key points in the clinical history and physical
el clínico a través de hallazgos claves de la examination. 3. Médico Asistente
historia clínica y el examen físico. Especialista
The first thing to do is to differentiate en Pediatría y
Emergencias
La primera distinción que debe hacerse es between unilateral and bilateral weakness. Pediátricas. Hospital
si se trata de debilidad unilateral o bilateral. When the patient has unilateral weakness, the Nacional de Niños,
Entre las etiologías que generan debilidad most important diagnose to rule out is stroke. San José, Costa Rica.
muscular unilateral, la más frecuente y que Among bilateral weakness, the cornerstone is Correspondencia:
debe ser descartada primero es el evento to find out the pattern of affected limbs and jchavarriacampos@
cerebrovascular. Mientras tanto, para las if there are manifestations of upper or lower gmail.com,
causas de debilidad muscular bilateral, es motor neuron lesion. Based on those findings, drmoyaalvarez@
gmail.com,
primordial determinar cuáles extremidades the most probable cause of the weakness is [email protected].
se encuentran afectadas, como también si normally discovered. It is also important to
existe un patrón de lesión de motoneurona quantify the muscle weakness by using the
superior o inferior. Con base en lo anterior, Medical Research Council scale. Finally,
se deduce la causa más probable. Además, es laboratory tests and images are requested
fundamental cuantificar el grado de debilidad depending on the clinical picture of every
con la escala del Medical Research Council. patient.
Finalmente los exámenes de laboratorio y
gabinete serán orientados según la sospecha Key words: Muscle weakness, stroke,
diagnóstica para cada paciente. upper motor neuron, lower motor neuron,
neuroimages.
Palabras clave: Debilidad muscular,
ictus, evento cerebrovascular, motoneurona
Referencias
Algoritmo 1. Abordaje de la debilidad unilateral. RMN: 3. Gelb D (2015). The detailed neurological exami-
resonancia magnética nuclear; TAC: tomografía axial
nation in adults. UptoDate 2012. Wolters Kluver.
computarizada. EMG: electromiografía. VCN: Velocidad
de conducción nerviosa. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/the-detailed-
neurologic-examination-in-adults.
10. Duanes H. (2013). Fundamental neuroscience for 19. Schiff D. Clinical features and diagnosis of neo-
basic and clinical applications. 4ed. Filadelfia: El- plastic epidural spinal cord compression, inclu-
sevier. ding cauda equina síndrome. UpToDate 2014.
Wolters Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.com/con-
11. Oliveira J, Koroshetz W. Initial assessment and tents/clinical-features-and-diagnosis-of-neoplas-
management of acute stroke. UpToDate 2014. tic-epidural-spinal-cord-compression-including-
Wolters Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.com/con- cauda-equina-syndrome.
tents/initial-assessment-and-management-of-acu-
te-stroke. 20. Lacomis D. Myopathies of systemic disease.
UpToDate 2014. Wolters Kluwer. http://www.
12. Clark DG. Approach to the patient with aphasia. uptodate.com/contents/myopathies-of-systemic-
UpToDate 2014. Wolters Kluwer. http://www. disease.
uptodate.com/contents/approach-to-the-patient-
with-aphasia. 21. Darras B. Approach to the metabolic myopathies.
UpToDate 2014. Wolters Kluwer. http://
13. Caplan LR. Clinical diagnosis of stroke subtypes. www.uptodate.com/contents/approach-to-the-
UpToDate 2013. Wolters Kluwer. http://www.up- metabolic-myopathies.
todate.com/contents/clinical-diagnosis-of-stroke-
subtypes. 22. Greenberg S. Pathogenesis of inflammatory myo-
pathies. UpToDate 2014. Wolters Kluwer. http://
14. BiousseV, Kedar S, Newman NJ. Homonymous www.uptodate.com/contents/pathogenesis-of-
hemianopia. UpToDate 2015. Wolters Kluwer. inflammatory-myopathies.
http://www.uptodate.com/contents/homony-
mous-hemianopia. 23. Rutkove S. Overview of polyneuropathy. UpTo-
Date 2014. Wolters Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.
15. Robinson J, Kothari M. Clinical features and com/contents/overview-of-polyneuropathy.
diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy. UpToDate
2014. Wolters Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.com/ 24. Tavee J, Bruce B, Ferri F. Myasthenia gravis. First
contents/clinical-features-and-diagnosis-of-cervi- Consult. Disponible en: www.clinicalkey.com.
cal-radiculopathy. Última actualización 9/2/2010. Accesado febrero
2015.
16. Bromberg M. Brachial plexus syndromes. UpTo-
Date 2015. Wolters Kluwer. http://www.uptodate. 25. Godoy D, Vaz de Mello L, Masotti L, et al. The
com/contents/brachial-plexus-syndromes. myasthenic patient in crisis: an update of the ma-
nagement in neurointensive care unit. Arq Neu-
17. Kothari MJ. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis ropsiquiatr 2013; 71(9):627-639.
of carpal tunnel syndrome. UpToDate 2014. Wol-
ters Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/ 26. Miller M. Muscle examination in the evaluation
carpal-tunnel-syndrome-clinical-manifestations- of weakness. UpToDate 2014. Wolters Kluwer.
and-diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/muscle-exa-
mination-in-the-evaluation-of-weakness.
18. Eisen A. Anatomy and localization of spinal
cord disorders. UpToDate 2014. Wolters Kluwer.
28. Ronthal M. Neurologic gait disorders of elderly 37. Twydell P. Diabetic amyotrophy and idiopathic
people. UpToDate 2015. Wolters Kluwer. http:// lumbosacral radiculoplexus neuropathy. UpTo-
www.uptodate.com/contents/neurologic-gait-di- Date 2014. Wolters Kluwer. http://www.uptoda-
sorders-of-elderly-people. te.com/contents/diabetic-amyotrophy-and-idio-
pathic-lumbosacral-radiculoplexus-neuropathy.
29. Chou K. Clinical manifestations of Parkinson di-
sease. UpToDate 2015. Wolters Kluwer. http:// 38. Petersen L. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis
www.uptodate.com/contents/clinical-manifesta- of West Nile virus infection. UpToDate 2014.
tions-of-parkinson-disease. Wolters Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.com/con-
tents/clinical-manifestations-and-diagnosis-of-
30. Bird S. Diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. UpTo- west-nile-virus-infection.
Date 2015. Wolters Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.
com/contents/diagnosis-of-myasthenia-gravis. 39. Brass S, Helfgott S. Clinical manifestations of
vasculitic neuropathy. UpToDate 2014. Wolters
31. Todd P. Overview of cerebellar ataxia in adults. Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/clini-
UpToDate 2014. Wolters Kluwer. http://www. cal-manifestations-of-vasculitic-neuropathy.
uptodate.com/contents/overview-of-cerebellar-
ataxia-in-adults. 40. Brass S, Helfgott S. Diagnosis and treatment of
vasculitic neuropathy. UpToDate 2013. Wolters
32. Maricich S. Acute cerebellar ataxia in children. Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/diag-
UpToDate 2013. Wolters Kluwer. http://www. nosis-and-treatment-of-vasculitic-neuropathy.
uptodate.com/contents/acute-cerebellar-ataxia-
in-children. 41. Wong E, Wu J. Clinical presentation and diag-
nosis of brain tumors. UpToDate 2014. Wolters
33. Caplan L. Differential diagnosis of transient is- Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/clini-
chemic attack and stroke. UpToDate 2014. Wol- cal-presentation-and-diagnosis-of-brain-tumors.
ters Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/
differential-diagnosis-of-transient-ischemic- 42. Schachter S. Evaluation of the first seizure in
attack-and-stroke. adults. UpToDate 2015. Wolters Kluwer. http://
www.uptodate.com/contents/evaluation-of-the-
34. Briemberg H, Amato A. Approach to the pa- first-seizure-in-adults.
tient with sensory loss. UpToDate 2015. Wol-
ters Kluwer. http://www.uptodate.com/contents/
approach-to-the-patient-with-sensory-loss.