Identification of neurotoxic disease

The majority of neurotoxic disease in North America is iatrogenic, and identification of the causative agent is rarely difficult. Industrial, environmental, and biological neurotoxic disorders may pose formidable diagnostic and therapeutic problems. This chapter emphasizes the primary role of a detailed history and suggests areas of inquiry that may help identify the cause. Information about unusual aspects of neurotoxic illness is provided, and some fundamental tenets are listed to guide the clinician who rarely encounters these disorders in everyday practice. In a final section, representative case studies from our extensive experience in clinical neurotoxicology will be presented.