FND in the Emergency Department. A new review for @AcademicEmerMed with Sara Finkelstein, Miguel (ED) and Achelle (Neuro) Cortel-LeBlanc. Open access - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11…. A quick thread , especially for ED folks 1/..
FND is one of the commonest neurological problems in the ED. At least 10% of all seizures in the ED and around 50% of ‘status’ presentations. 9% of all stroke presentations in London. 9% of all acute neurology admissions in NZ. 2/
FND is a problem at the interface between neurology and psychiatry. It has its own unique neurobiology. This international review just out in the last couple of weeks. 3/ sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
FND is a 'rule in' diagnosis. If you are making the diagnosis just because tests are normal, or because you don’t know what else to call it – you’re doing it wrong. 4/
Functional Seizures also have a range of typical features. Every year around the world there must be thousands of patients with FND who are needlessly intubated because FND is not properly on clinicians radar. Here are some clues 5/
Recent work also shows that most people with suspected cauda equina syndrome will have normal or non-explanatory imaging. Do the MRI urgently, but if inormal, think about FND – as this appears to be common in this patient group. n.neurology.org/content/96/3/e…
FND usually needs a neurologist, or someone used to neurological diagnosis, to confirm the diagnosis. There are many pitfalls. But that doesn’t mean you cant list FND on your differential like any other medical condition 7/
FND is genuine, not ‘faking’. We know that does happen, especially in ED, but be REALLY careful. Its rare for those of us who see these patients in neurology settings to encounter feigned symptoms. 8/
If you are dealing with FND in an ED setting, especially perhaps if the diagnosis has been made elsewhere, there are ways of communicating the diagnosis that are truthful and can help lay the groundwork for rehabilitation treatment. 9/
And not forgetting @fndsociety now with over 800 members and weekly free webinars. Join for the back catalogue of over 30 talks and a meeting planned for Boston 2022
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Pleased to announce a new FND pathway for Scotland organised by NHS Scotland Centre for Sustainable Delivery. @NHSScotCfSD
. Thread 1/ nhscfsd.co.uk/media/zt0h0s0k…
The Neurology Specialty Delivery Group @NHSScotCfSD focuses on adult neurology services They identified FND as a common condition in neurological practice, where a pathway could give useful guidance. They’ve already done a headache pathway. nhscfsd.co.uk/our-work/moder…
I was asked to co-chair the group with @IngridHoeritza1. We have been meeting since Summer 2023 as a multidisciplinary group including representatives from psychology, physio, OT, psychiatry, neurology, SLT and @FNDHopeUK 3/
The idea that you can diagnose a functional movement disorder because it’s ‘incongruent’ with other neurological conditions or with the laws of physics or anatomy has been around for decades 2/
But diagnosing by incongruence is just another way of making a diagnosis by exclusion.
It requires omniscience in neurology that is unattainable, is not future proof and presumes our traditional models of anatomy and ‘how the brain works’ have already been figured out. 3/
It's not unusual to have FND and another condition, like epilepsy or MS. It doesn't have to be one or the other. We're also learning how issues like joint hypermobility, autistic spectrum disorder and many others may be relevant.
Health professionals have found many ways to ignore people with FND over the years including ‘The diagnosis must be wrong’ and ‘It’s not my specialty – go see someone else’ – but the most pernicious has been ‘its probably just a form of feigning’. 2/
You might say, why does anyone have to write this article? It's obvious that people with FND suffer terribly. But that suffering is often compounded by disbelief from health professionals and even friends and family. This recent study is an example. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36626907/. 3/
NEW! Neurosymptoms FND Guide Formulator - a new tool for people with FND on the neurosymptoms.org website. This thread explains why we hope it will help patients and clinicians make sense of FND and improve communication. formulation.neurosymptoms.org . 1/…
The FND formulator is designed to:
✅Help you make sense of your symptoms
✅Understand which of your conditions are functional disorders
✅Think through potential causes and triggers
✅Prepare for a healthcare appointment
✅Communicate better with healthcare professionals
2/…
The FND formulator consists of four modules – you can do bits of them or all of them – which get turned in to a personalised report to share with your health professional or just use to keep a record of things over time 3/…
Just in time for FND Month - our review of FND for @lancetneurology led by @FNDSociety president @MarkHallett007 includes functional cognitive disorder and persistent postural perceptual dizziness (PPPD). Free link (until 1.6.22) in next item in thread 1/ thelancet.com/journals/laneu…
FND has come a long way over the last 20 years. Lancet Neurology asked us to take stock of what is now a rapidly expanding field. Free link until 1st June 22 here - authors.elsevier.com/c/1evn45FFzKqo… 2/
Two psychiatrists @lauramcw (Edinburgh) and Jeff Staab (Mayo Clinic) help us consider whether functional cognitive disorder and PPPD (functional dizziness) belong within FND. We think they do by virtue of similar diagnostic features and shared mechanisms. 3/