Degenerative Disorders

Degenerative Disorders

Neurologic disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system that are degenerative in nature include Parkinson’s disease, Hunt-ington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophies, and degenerative disc disease. A relatively new phenomenon, post-polio syndrome, may be degenerative in nature and is also discussed. A slow onset of signs and symptoms charac-terizes these disorders. Patients are managed at home for as long as possible and admitted to the acute care setting for exacerbations, treatments, and surgical interventions as needed.