Only Sensory Symptoms

A 32-year-old woman, who was otherwise fit and healthy with no personal or family neurological history, was referred for episodes of altered sensation/numbness. She had attended hospital on several occasions due to two separate incidents of fairly sudden onset of sensory disturbance affecting only the left side of her body, not involving her face. The episodes happened without any prodrome, aura, significant headache or visual phenomena. Both times, it occurred (about 2 months apart) in the context of a viral infection. The first time she had diarrhoea and vomiting and the second time she had an upper respiratory viral illness. The sensory disturbance was limited to her left upper and lower limbs, possibly also involving her torso. There was no motor involvement, nor was there any cranial nerve or facial involvement. The symptoms persisted for up to 10 days on each occasion.