Mutilating hereditary sensory neuropathy with spastic paraplegia

Definition

A rare genetic neurological disorder characterized by infantile to childhood onset of progressive sensory neuropathy in association with spastic paraplegia and mutilating acropathy. Patients present lower limb spasticity and progressive severe sensory loss leading to chronic ulcerations in both upper and lower limbs. Electrophysiological studies are consistent with axonal sensory neuropathy, and nerve biopsy shows axonopathy with loss of myelinated nerve fibers of all diameters as well as of unmyelinated axons.