Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0013362 (dysarthria)
 3,768 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The benzodiazepines are still extensively used in psychiatry, neurology and medicine in general. Anxiety disorder and severe insomnia are important syndromal indications, but these drugs are widely prescribed at the symptomatic level, resulting in potential overuse. The official data sheets recommend short durations of usage and conservative dosage. Although short-term efficacy is established, long-term efficacy remains controversial, as relevant data are scanty and relapse, rebound and dependence on withdrawal not clearly distinguished. The risks of the benzodiazepines are well-documented and comprise psychological and physical effects. Among the former are subjective sedation, paradoxical release of anxiety and/or hostility, psychomotor impairment, memory disruption, and risks of accidents. Physical effects include vertigo, dysarthria, ataxia with falls, especially in the elderly. Dependence can supervene on long-term use, occasionally with dose escalation. The benzodiazepines are now recognised as major drugs of abuse and addiction. Other drug and non-drug therapies are available and have a superior risk benefit ratio in long-term use. It is concluded that benzodiazepines should be reserved for short-term use--up to 4 weeks--and in conservative dosage.
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PMID:Limitations on the use of benzodiazepines in anxiety and insomnia: are they justified? 1062 86

An 85-year-old woman developed sudden confusion and dysarthria progressing to mutism, orobuccal dyskinesias, generalized tremors worse with activity, ataxia, and rigidity with cog wheeling without high-grade fevers or dysautonomia. These findings were related temporally to the institution of mirtazapine as monotherapy for a major depressive illness with superimposed anxiety disorder. Withdrawal of the agent resulted in early notable clinical resolution with only residual hypertonia after 2 weeks. This is a rare report of serotonin syndrome induced by mirtazapine monotherapy. The hypothesized pathophysiologic mechanism in this case is overstimulation of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT) type 1A receptors (5-HT(1A)) in the brainstem and spinal cord in an individual with risk factors for hyperserotoninemia resulting from reduced, acquired endogenous serotonin metabolism.
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PMID:Mirtazapine-induced serotonin syndrome. 1464 4

X-Linked ichthyosis (XRI) is a keratinisation disorder caused by a mutation of the steroid sulfatase gene. An association with mental retardation and epilepsy has been reported earlier. Here, we report on a patient suffering from cerebellar symptoms such as yes/yes head tremor, scanning dysarthria, pronounced dysmetria and intention tremor, without any abnormalities of the cerebellum in MRI, in addition to XRI proven by molecular genetics. Furthermore, the patient suffered from anxiety disorder, depression, and a male pattern baldness. One of the patient' s brothers and a nephew showed a similar clinical presentation. Because of the fact that several members of the patient's family suffered from similar symptoms, we consider a syndromic link between XRI and cerebellar disorder to be possible.
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PMID:[X-linked recessive ichthyosis (XRI), cerebellar ataxia and neuropsychiatric symptoms]. 2334 Sep 70