ask: what is spasmic paralysis

Dear Anon,

There are two types of spastic paraplegia: Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) and (Apparently Sporadic) Spastic Paraplegia.

Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia is a group of inherited neurological disorders. The primary symptoms are progressive spasticity and weakness of the leg and hip muscles.

HSP is characterized by progressive lower extremity weakness and spasticity and is classified as uncomplicated or pure if neurological impairment is limited to the lower body. HSP is classified as complicated or complex if other systems are involved or if there are other neurological findings such as seizures, dementia, amyotrophy, or peripheral neuropathy in the absence of other disorders such as diabetes mellitus.

(Apparently Sporadic) Spastic Paraplegia is when a person with all the signs and symptoms of HSP does not appear to have similarly affected family members. Some neurologists call the condition Spastic Paraplegia or Apparently Sporadic Spastic Paraplegia.

If you have any other questions about Spastic Paraplegia- please visit http://www.sp-foundation.org/hsp.htm#What%20is%20HSP for more information on symptoms, causes, and treatment.