Differential by Age of Patient
It is helpful and important to narrow the differential diagnosis based on the
age of the patient. An acute neurologic deficit has an entirely different list of
likely etiologies in a 90-year-old than it does in a 20-year-old . In general, congenital,
traumatic, m i g rainous, and infectious etiolog ies a re more frequent i n
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younger patients. Older patients are more likely to have symptoms related to ischemic,
neoplastic, chronic compression; or degenerative diseases.