Home > Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders > Tabes Dorsalis

Definition

Tabes dorsalis is a late manifestation of untreated syphilis and is characterized by a triad of clinical symptoms namely gait unsteadiness, lightning pains and urinary incontinence. It occurs due to a slow and progressive degeneration of nerve cells and fibers in spinal cord. It is one of the forms of tertiary syphilis or neurosyphilis.

Description

The first description of the disorder was given by a French neurologist, Guillame Duchenne in 1858 who called it l'ataxie locomotrice progressive (progressive locomotor ataxia). But the word tabes dorsalis was coined in 1836 even before the actual cause was discovered. Tabes in Latin means "decay" or "shriveling"; dorsalis means "of the back." These indicate the location and...