Neuromuscular Complications of Systemic Conditions

Health care providers who diagnose and treat patients with neuromuscular conditions not infrequently encounter a wide range of neuromuscular complications resulting from systemic disorders. These can range from the relatively simple, such as carpal tunnel syndrome in a pregnant woman, to complex and widespread dysfunction of nerve, muscle, and neuromuscular junction in those hospitalized with critical illness. Differentiating acquired disorders from a disease process from iatrogenic problems is often part of the diagnostic dilemma in the evaluation and treatment of these individuals. This issue covers many of the neuromuscular complications encountered in patients with systemic conditions and disorders.