11 Things Neurologists Think Hospitalists Need to Know
11 Things Neurologists Think Hospitalists Need to Know
It's safe to say some hospitalists might miss a neuromuscular disorder, Dr. Chang says.
"A lot of disorders that are harder for hospitalists to diagnose and that tend to take longer to call a neurologist [on] are things that are due to myasthenia gravis [a breakdown between nerves and muscles leading to muscle fatigue], myopathy, or ALS," she says. "Many patients present with weakness. I think a lot of times there will be a lot of tests on and a lot of treatment for general medical conditions that can cause weakness."
And that might be a case of misdirected attention. Patients with weakness accompanied by persistent swallowing problems, slurred speech with no other obvious cause, or the inability to lift their head off the bed without an obvious cause may end up with a neuromuscular diagnosis, she says.
It would be helpful to have a neurologist's input in these cases, she says, where "nothing's getting better, and three, four, five days later, the patient's still weak.
"I think a neurologist would be more in tune with something like that," she adds.
Consider Neuromuscular Disorders When a Patient Presents With Weakness
It's safe to say some hospitalists might miss a neuromuscular disorder, Dr. Chang says.
"A lot of disorders that are harder for hospitalists to diagnose and that tend to take longer to call a neurologist [on] are things that are due to myasthenia gravis [a breakdown between nerves and muscles leading to muscle fatigue], myopathy, or ALS," she says. "Many patients present with weakness. I think a lot of times there will be a lot of tests on and a lot of treatment for general medical conditions that can cause weakness."
And that might be a case of misdirected attention. Patients with weakness accompanied by persistent swallowing problems, slurred speech with no other obvious cause, or the inability to lift their head off the bed without an obvious cause may end up with a neuromuscular diagnosis, she says.
It would be helpful to have a neurologist's input in these cases, she says, where "nothing's getting better, and three, four, five days later, the patient's still weak.
"I think a neurologist would be more in tune with something like that," she adds.
