title: Subacute combined degeneration due to copper deficiency.
abstract: There is growing clinical evidence supporting a connection between copper deficiency and subacute combined degeneration. While nearly half of patients with copper deficiency myelopathy exhibit MRI abnormalities, signal changes are often ill-defined in distribution. We report a patient with sensory ataxia and spastic paraplegia from copper deficiency whose MRI demonstrates abnormal signal restricted to the dorsal and lateral columns, providing clear radiological support of an association between hypocupremia and combined system degeneration.
authors: Division of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. joseph.ferrara@duke.edu
authors: Joseph M
authors: JM
authors: Ferrara
authors: Mark B
authors: MB
authors: Skeen
authors: Nancy J
authors: NJ
authors: Edwards
authors: Linda
authors: L
authors: Gray
authors: E Wayne
authors: EW
authors: Massey
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003300:Copper / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D003300:Copper