Mononeuritis multiplex = involvement of two or more separate peripheral nerves, each affected independently, leading to asymmetric motor and sensory loss.

It means:

Simultaneous or sequential damage to multiple individual peripheral nerves, in different, unrelated nerve territories, producing an asymmetric, patchy pattern of neurological deficits.

Clinical pattern

• Asymmetric, stepwise onset
• Mixed motor + sensory deficits
• Often painful
• Example pattern: foot drop (common peroneal) + wrist drop (radial) + ulnar numbness — all in different distributions.

Pathophysiology

• Usually due to vasculitic infarction of individual nerves (ischemic mononeuropathies).

Key causes (high‑yield)

• Vasculitis (most important): PAN, GPA, EGPA, rheumatoid vasculitis
• Diabetes
• Amyloidosis
• Sarcoidosis
• Infections: HIV, hepatitis B/C
• Leprosy (global exams)

How to distinguish from polyneuropathy

• Mononeuritis multiplex: asymmetric, patchy, painful, stepwise
• Polyneuropathy: symmetric, length‑dependent (“glove and stocking”)