Case Report
Volume: 9 | Issue: 4 | Published: May 27, 2025 | Pages: 98 - 101 | DOI: 10.24911/ejmcr.9-2121
A fifteen-year journey to total physical disability; A case of Astasia-abasia.
Authors: Frank Mulindwa , Maheen Irshad , Kanza Ahmed , Rabia Malik , Ali Javed , Hadia Waheed , Yasir Ahmed
Article Info
Authors
Frank Mulindwa
United Health Services, Wilson Hospital, New York
Maheen Irshad
United Health Services, Wilson Hospital, New York
Kanza Ahmed
United Health Services, Wilson Hospital, New York
Rabia Malik
United Health Services, Wilson Hospital, New York
Ali Javed
United Health Services, Wilson Hospital, New York
Hadia Waheed
United Health Services, Wilson Hospital, New York
Yasir Ahmed
United Health Services, Wilson Hospital, New York
Publication History
Received: April 14, 2024
Accepted: May 14, 2025
Published: May 27, 2025
Abstract
Introduction
The diagnosis of functional movement disorders including Astasia-abasia is always a challenge even with seasoned clinicians due to a tendency to border on caution to avoid missing potentially life threatening structural neurological disorders leading to delays in diagnosis. Chronicity of symptoms, a guarded prognosis and eventual physical conditioning pose treatment challenges.
Case presentation
We present a case of a 69-year-old Caucasian man with past medical history of essential hypertension, well controlled type II diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and generalized anxiety disorder who was evaluated in three hospital systems for what he described as ‘difficulty standing in one position’ and later gait disturbances that was incongruent with findings on neurological examination and well as imaging, nerve conduction studies and electromyography. We describe his clinical course to becoming wheelchair bound eventually having multiple hospital admissions due to life threatening complications of immobility including decubitus ulcers, sepsis and rhabdomyolysis leading to acute kidney injury.
Discussion
The presented case of Astasia-abasia highlights diagnostic challenges involving repetition of diagnostic tests as patients move from one hospital system to another, as well as unpredictability of treatment response and the potential for severe physical deconditioning leading to medical complications of immobility.
Keywords: Functional movement disorders, Astasia-abasia, physical disability
Pubmed Style
Frank Mulindwa, Maheen Irshad, Kanza Ahmed, Rabia Malik, Ali Javed, Hadia Waheed, Yasir Ahmed. A fifteen-year journey to total physical disability; A case of Astasia-abasia.. EJMCR. 2025; 27 (May 2025): 98-101. doi:10.24911/ejmcr.9-2121
Web Style
Frank Mulindwa, Maheen Irshad, Kanza Ahmed, Rabia Malik, Ali Javed, Hadia Waheed, Yasir Ahmed. A fifteen-year journey to total physical disability; A case of Astasia-abasia.. https://ejmcr.com/articles/2121 [Access: June 06, 2025]. doi:10.24911/ejmcr.9-2121
AMA (American Medical Association) Style
Frank Mulindwa, Maheen Irshad, Kanza Ahmed, Rabia Malik, Ali Javed, Hadia Waheed, Yasir Ahmed. A fifteen-year journey to total physical disability; A case of Astasia-abasia.. EJMCR. 2025; 27 (May 2025): 98-101. doi:10.24911/ejmcr.9-2121
Vancouver/ICMJE Style
Frank Mulindwa, Maheen Irshad, Kanza Ahmed, Rabia Malik, Ali Javed, Hadia Waheed, Yasir Ahmed. A fifteen-year journey to total physical disability; A case of Astasia-abasia.. EJMCR. (2025), [cited June 06, 2025]; 27 (May 2025): 98-101. doi:10.24911/ejmcr.9-2121
Harvard Style
Frank Mulindwa, Maheen Irshad, Kanza Ahmed, Rabia Malik, Ali Javed, Hadia Waheed, Yasir Ahmed (2025) A fifteen-year journey to total physical disability; A case of Astasia-abasia.. EJMCR, 27 (May 2025): 98-101. doi:10.24911/ejmcr.9-2121
Chicago Style
Frank Mulindwa, Maheen Irshad, Kanza Ahmed, Rabia Malik, Ali Javed, Hadia Waheed, Yasir Ahmed. "A fifteen-year journey to total physical disability; A case of Astasia-abasia.." 27 (2025), 98-101. doi:10.24911/ejmcr.9-2121
MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style
Frank Mulindwa, Maheen Irshad, Kanza Ahmed, Rabia Malik, Ali Javed, Hadia Waheed, Yasir Ahmed. "A fifteen-year journey to total physical disability; A case of Astasia-abasia.." 27.May 2025 (2025), 98-101. Print. doi:10.24911/ejmcr.9-2121
APA (American Psychological Association) Style
Frank Mulindwa, Maheen Irshad, Kanza Ahmed, Rabia Malik, Ali Javed, Hadia Waheed, Yasir Ahmed (2025) A fifteen-year journey to total physical disability; A case of Astasia-abasia.. , 27 (May 2025), 98-101. doi:10.24911/ejmcr.9-2121