Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0013421 (dystonia)
 8,418 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Hashimoto encephalopathy (HE) is characterized by heterogeneous neurological symptoms. HE is diagnosed based on three criteria-the presence of antithyroid antibodies, neurological symptoms from the cerebrum and/or cerebellum, and a positive response to immunotherapy. We clinically analyzed 18 patients (3 men, 15 women; age range, 38-81years) diagnosed with HE in our hospital from May 2013 to January 2016. Eleven patients showed sensory abnormalities such as strong pain, deep muscle pain, dysesthesia, paresthesia, or neuralgia. Surprisingly, the majority of the pain was distributed in a manner that was not explainable anatomically. Seventeen patients showed motor disturbances, such as weakness, paresis of extremities, or dexterity movement disorder, and eight patients showed give-way weakness, which is disruption of continuous muscle contraction. Other symptoms indicative of brain-related anomalies such as tremor, dystonia, involuntary movements, cerebellar ataxia, parkinsonism, memory loss, and chronic fatigue were also seen. In most patients, such motor, sensory, or higher brain functions were markedly improved with immunosuppressive therapies such as prednisolone, azathioprine, or immunoadsorption therapy. Although give-way weakness and anatomically unexplainable pain are typically considered as being psychogenic in origin, the presence of these symptoms is indicative of HE. HE exhibits diffuse involvement of the entire brain and thus, these symptoms are explainable. We propose that physicians should not diagnose somatoform disorders without first excluding autoimmune encephalopathy.
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PMID:[Clinical Features and Treatment of Hashimoto Encephalopathy]. 2766 88

Autoimmune encephalopathies are clinically and immunologically heterogeneous disorders. At least 20 types of autoimmune encephalopathies have been discovered, with the most common type being Hashimoto encephalopathy. In clinical situations, we often observe that patients with autoimmune encephalopathy are misdiagnosed because they exhibit signs similar to those observed in functional psychogenic movement, conversion, or somatoform disorders. We clinically examined over 100 patients with autoimmune encephalopathy. These patients primarily demonstrated motor disturbances, mostly with give-way weakness, sensory abnormalities, and involuntary movements such as tremor entrainment, dystonia, or coarse involuntary movement. In addition, we observed memory loss, psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, epilepsy, and autonomic symptoms in our patients. To diagnose autoimmune encephalopathies, we propose that a combination of neurological symptoms indicating "diffuse brain damage" be used. "Diffuse brain damage" is a proof of several symptoms, such as give-way weakness; motor symptoms such as paralysis, smoothness disorder of exercise, involuntary movements, and difficulty to sustain; abnormal sensations such as pain, abnormal perception of various parts, and impaired vibration sensation; deterioration of higher order functions such as memory and learning ability; and impairment of the visual processing system and various visual abnormalities. As patients with autoimmune encephalitis exhibit diffuse involvement, the presence of these symptoms was entirely understandable. Over three such abnormal findings could indicate diffuse brain damage. Owing to the regular understanding in neurology, most patients tend to be diagnosed with somatoform disorders. Thus, physicians should not diagnose somatoform disorders without first excluding autoimmune encephalopathy.
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PMID:[Motor Symptoms of Autoimmune Encephalopathies]. 2928 42

Movement disorders (MDs) are common in patients with autoimmune disorders affecting the central and peripheral nervous system. They may be observed in autoimmune disorders triggered by an infectious agent, such as streptococcus in Sydenham's chorea, or in basal ganglia encephalitis with antibodies against the dopamine-D2 receptors. In these patients chorea or dystonia are usually the most prominent hyperkinetic MDs. MDs are also observed in patients with diffuse or limbic encephalitis with antibodies directed against neuronal cell-surface antigens. Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is one of the most common and may present with a variety of MDs, including: chorea, stereotypies, dystonia and myorhythmia. The recognition of other abnormal motor phenomena such as "faciobrachial dystonic seizures" and neuromyotonia, observed in patients with LGI1 and Caspr-2 antibodies, is important because they may herald the onset of overt limbic encephalitis. Autoimmunity directed against the intracellular enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase usually presents with MDs, most commonly stiff-person syndrome or cerebellar ataxia. Chorea may be observed in rheumatologic disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus or antiphospholipid syndrome. Disorders with uncertain autoimmune mechanisms such as Hashimoto's encephalitis and idiopathic opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome commonly present with tremor, myoclonus and ataxia. A rapid diagnosis of an autoimmune disorder, which typically presents with subacute onset, is critical as early therapeutic intervention improves long-term prognosis and may be life-saving. Treatment usually involves some form of immunotherapy and symptomatic therapy of the abnormal movements with dopamine depleters, dopamine receptor antagonists, or GABAergic drugs. Detection and removal of an underlying tumor is essential for optimal outcome.
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PMID:Autoimmune and paraneoplastic movement disorders: An update. 2940 2

Thyroid disorders, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and Hashimoto encephalopathy, are considered the most common cause of cerebellar dysfunction due to hormonal imbalance. Typically, cerebellar impairment occurs in the course of hypothyroidism and Hashimoto encephalopathy. Information about demographic, clinical and laboratory features of cerebellar disease associated with thyroid disorders is poor. Our review of the literature (1965 to 2018) identified 28 cases associated with hypothyroidism and 37 cases associated with Hashimoto encephalitis. Both patients with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto encephalopathy presented with signs of ataxia that were similarly distributed in the two groups and were mostly predictive of vermis involvement and frequent impairment of cerebellar hemispheres. Additional neurological signs, like dystonia, psychiatric symptoms, ocular disturbances and myoclonus, could be found in the Hashimoto encephalopathy group alone. When present, atrophy of vermis and often of both cerebellar hemispheres was the main imaging abnormality in both hypothyroidism and Hashimoto encephalopathy. Anti-thyroid antibodies could be detected in three quarters of patients with hypothyroidism and in all patients with Hashimoto encephalopathy. In the patients with hypothyroidism, thyroid replacement therapy yielded complete or partial remission of ataxia. In the Hashimoto encephalopathy group, immunosuppressive treatment provided complete remission of ataxia in about 60% of patients, partial remission in the remaining cases. Owing to the treatable nature of the condition and the high prevalence of thyroid disease among general population, cerebellar syndrome associated with thyroid disorders should be considered an important clinical entity. Information from this review will hopefully stimulate and strengthen awareness of thyroid-associated ataxia among clinicians.
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PMID:Cerebellar Syndrome Associated with Thyroid Disorders. 3138 71