Paralysis

# Overview
Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. Paralysis often includes loss of feeling in the affected area.

# Pathophysiology
Paralysis is most often caused by damage to the nervous system or brain, especially the spinal cord. Partial paralysis can also occur in the REM stage of sleep.
Paralysis may be localized, or generalized, or it may follow a certain pattern. For example, localized paralysis occurs in Bell's palsy where one side of the face may be paralyzed due to inflammation of the facial nerve on that side. Patients with stroke may be weak throughout their body (global paralysis) or have hemiplegia (weakness on one side of the body) or other patterns of paralysis depending on the area of damage in the brain.
Other patterns of paralysis arise due to different lesions and their sequelae. For example, lower spinal cord damage from a severe back injury may result in paraplegia, while an injury higher up on the spinal cord, such as a neck injury, can cause quadriplegia. Patients with paraplegia or quadriplegia often use equipment such as a wheelchair or standing frame for mobility and to regain some independence.
Most paralyses caused by nervous system damage are constant in nature; however, there are forms of periodic paralysis, including sleep paralysis, which are caused by other factors.

# Causes

## Common Causes
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Botulism
- Drugs
Amikacin sulfate
Iodixanol
Pergolide
- Amikacin sulfate
- Iodixanol
- Pergolide
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Multiple sclerosis
- Poisons that interfere with nerve function, such as curare
- Poliomyelitis
- Spina bifida
- Stroke
- trauma

## Causes by Organ System

## Causes in Alphabetical Order
- Acetylandromedol
- Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis
- Acute fulminant multiple sclerosis
- Adrenal adenoma
- Adrenal cancer
- Adrenal cortex neoplasms
- Adrenal gland hyperfunction
- Adrenal incidentaloma
- Adrenocortical carcinoma
- Adrenoleukodystrophy
- Alexander disease
- Amikacin sulfate
- Amnesic shellfish poisoning
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Andromedotoxin
- Apricot seed poisoning
- Arachnoiditis
- Arbovirosis
- Arteriovenous malformation
- Asphyxia
- Ataxic cerebral palsy
- Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system
- Azinphos-methyl
- Back tumor
- Balo's concentric sclerosis
- Bell's palsy
- Benign astrocytoma
- Bird cherry seed poisoning
- Bitter almond seed poisoning
- Blue-ringed octopus poisoning
- Bog rosemary poisoning
- Bottlebrush buckeye poisoning
- Botulism
- Brachial plexus injury
- Broken neck
- Bromide
- Brown snake poisoning
- Buckeye poisoning
- Bush lily poisoning
- Calcification of basal ganglia
- California buckeye poisoning
- California encephalitis
- Canavan disease
- Carbamate insecticide poisoning
- Cerebral cavernous malformations
- Cerebral palsy
- Cerebral sarcoma
- Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis
- Cerebrovascular accident
- Chediak-higashi syndrome
- Cherry seed poisoning
- Chiari malformation
- China tree poisoning
- Chokecherry seed poisoning
- Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
- Classical hodgkin disease
- Clupeotoxism
- Coastal leucothoe poisoning
- Cobra poisoning
- Compartment syndrome
- Congenital defects
- Conium maculatum
- Conversion disorder
- Corn lily poisoning
- Curare
- Cutaneomeningospinal angiomatosis
- Cytisine
- Decompression sickness
- Delphinium poisoning
- Desmoplastic cerebral astrocytoma of infancy
- Desmoplastic infantile ganglioma
- Dimethyl phthalate
- Donepezil toxicity
- Dysbarism
- Dyskinetic cerebral palsy
- Elapid poisoning
- Electrical burns
- Encephalitis
- Encephalomyelitis
- Enterovirus antenatal infection
- Everlasting pea poisoning
- Extradural hematoma
- Familial infantile metachromatic leukodystrophy
- Fetterbush poisoning
- Flax poisoning
- Flecainide
- Flecatab
- Florida leucothoe poisoning
- Fowl paralyses
- Fractures
- Friedreichs ataxia
- Functioning pancreatic endocrine tumor
- Fungal meningitis
- Gm2-gangliosidosis
- Golden chain tree poisoning
- Grayanotoxin
- Guillain-barre syndrome
- Hemorrhagic stroke
- Hendra virus
- Hereditary peripheral nervous disorder
- Hip cancer
- Hodgkin's disease
- Homocystinuria syndrome
- Hydrocephalus
- Hyperadrenalism
- Hypokalemia
- Insulinoma
- Intercostal neuralgia
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Iodixanol
- Ischemic stroke
- Japanese andromeda poisoning
- Japanese encephalitis
- Jessamine poisoning
- Juvenile paget's disease
- Krabbe disease
- Leprosy
- Leptomeningitis
- Lobelia poisoning
- Lobeline
- Lyme disease
- Lymphocyte depletion hodgkin's disease
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis
- Malignant astrocytoma
- Marburg multiple sclerosis
- Mareck's disease
- Marine toxins
- Mayapple poisoning
- Mercury poisoning
- Mesothelioma
- Metachromatic leukodystrophy
- Metastatic insulinoma
- Mixed cellularity hodgkin's disease
- Monkshood poisoning
- Monocrotophos
- Motor neurone disease
- Mountain andromeda poisoning
- Mountain laurel poisoning
- Movement disorders
- Moyamoya syndrome
- Multiple myeloma
- Multiple sclerosis
- Muscular dystrophy
- Neuroblastoma
- Neurofibromatosis
- Neurosyphilis
- Nicotiana tabacum
- Nodular sclerosing hodgkin's lymphoma
- Nyssen-van bogaert syndrome
- Organophosphate insecticide poisoning
- Paget's disease of bone
- Pathological fracture
- Peach seed poisoning
- Pelizaeus-merzbacher disease
- Pergolide
- Peripheral neuritis
- Pernettya poisoning
- Persian violet poisoning
- Poliomyelitis
- Porphyria
- Post-polio syndrome
- Post-vaccinial encephalitis
- Potassium deficiency
- Primary hyperaldosteronism
- Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
- Rabies
- Rasmussen's encephalitis
- Red buckeye poisoning
- Refsum disease
- Rhodotoxin
- Rib tumor
- Schistosomiasis japonica
- Schistosomiasis mansoni
- Sea wasp poisoning
- Selected encephalitides
- Sheep laurel poisoning
- Simian b virus infection
- Sleep
- Spastic cerebral palsy
- Spina bifida
- Spinal cord injury
- Spinal muscular atrophy
- Spinal tumor
- Staggerbush poisoning
- Stroke
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Subdural hematoma
- Sweetshrub poisoning
- Syphilis
- Syringomyelia
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Tacrine toxicity
- Tambocor
- Tay sachs disease
- Temodar
- Temozolomide
- Tetanus
- Tetranortriterpene
- Tetraodon poisoning
- Thiram
- Tick-borne encephalitis
- Transverse myelitis
- Trauma
- Trumpet flower poisoning
- Vanishing white matter leukodystrophy
- Wild cherry seed poisoning
- Zellweger syndrome

# Differential diagnosis

# Related Chapters
- Spinal cord injury
- Paraplegia
- Quadriplegia
- Muscle relaxant
- Ptosis
- Sleep paralysis
- Hemiparesis
- Beriberi
- Neuroprosthetics
- Brain-computer interface
- Tonic immobility
- Cerebral palsy
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