Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0036572 (seizures)
 80,221 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We describe six boys with homozygous sickle cell disease, aged 7 to 13 years, in whom acute, severe neurologic abnormalities developed 1 to 11 days after partial exchange transfusion was performed to treat priapism that was unresponsive to more conservative therapy. Hemoglobin levels were 10.5 to 13.4 gm/dl (mean 12.1 gm/dl), and hemoglobin S levels were 18% to 33% (mean 27%) before the onset of neurologic complications. Severe headache was the initial finding in five patients, four of whom had increased intracranial pressure and three of whom required tracheal intubation and hyperventilation. Four patients had seizures; three had focal neurologic deficits for more than 24 hours. Cerebral arteriography demonstrated vascular abnormalities, including irregularity, stenosis, and complete occlusion of vessels. Patients treated with regular erythrocyte transfusions had no recurrence of neurologic signs or symptoms when hemoglobin S levels were kept at 30% to 50%. The occurrence of serious neurologic complications after partial exchange transfusion in patients with homozygous sickle cell disease from three centers indicates the possibility of a causal relationship between the events. Early and thorough investigation of neurologic symptoms, especially severe headache, is warranted in this clinical setting.
 ...
PMID:Neurologic events after partial exchange transfusion for priapism in sickle cell disease. 143 48

Postmarketing adverse drug reaction reports for amoxapine, maprotiline hydrochloride, and trazodone hydrochloride and premarketing adverse drug reaction data for bupropion hydrochloride and nomifensine maleate are reviewed, and the role of the new agents in the management of depressive illness is discussed. Nomifensine was withdrawn from markets worldwide because of reports of serious hypersensitivity reactions, especially hemolytic anemia, and marketing of bupropion in the United States was delayed after seizures occurred in bulimic patients in clinical trials. Amoxapine and maprotiline, when taken in overdose attempts, are more toxic and cause more serious central nervous system reactions than the standard tricyclics. Acute renal failure and an increased mortality rate are associated with amoxapine overdose. Amoxapine causes several acute and chronic untoward neurologic and endocrine reactions not commonly associated with the standard tricyclics. For maprotiline and bupropion, maximum doses have been established because of dose-related seizures. Trazodone has minimal effect on cardiac conduction; its main cardiovascular effects are hypotension, orthostasis, and dizziness. The trazodone package insert has been revised to warn of priapism; patients with prolonged or inappropriate penile erections are instructed to discontinue the drug and notify the physician. Serious cardiovascular and neurologic toxicities are rare with trazodone overdose. Of the newly marketed antidepressants, only trazodone offers some advantages over the tricyclic and tetracyclic agents in the areas of side effects and toxicities. The number and type of patients exposed to a new drug during clinical trials is too small for detection of rare but potentially serious adverse effects.
 ...
PMID:Adverse reactions to five new antidepressants. 308 84

Hyposexuality is a common problem in stroke patients. Some stroke patients, however, may present with hypersexuality. We report three stroke patients who demonstrated hypersexuality and deviant sexual behavior after stroke. Abnormal sexual behavior was noted by members of the stroke rehabilitation team while the patients were in hospital. Details of pre- and poststroke sexual activity were obtained from patients and their spouses. All three patients had temporal lobe lesions on computerized tomography, and all had a history of poststroke seizure activity. The 53-year-old man reported poststroke increase in libido and coital frequency with a tendency towards priapism. The two women (47 and 55 years old) exhibited deviant sexual behavior, mood changes, and hyperphagia. The exact cause of these behavior changes is unknown but they may be related to temporal lobe involvement. Hypersexuality has previously been reported in animals and in patients with temporal lobe seizures.
 ...
PMID:Hypersexuality in stroke. 371

The authors review four "second generation" antidepressants (maprotiline, amoxapine, trazodone, and nomifensine) in terms of action on biogenic amines and receptors, antidepressive efficacy, and adverse effects. Doxepin is used as a comparative agent and is similar to the prototypical tricyclic agents in all the above categories. Maprotiline is a selective noradrenergic agent, but shares a similar adverse effect profile with doxepin and may be associated with a high frequency of seizures in overdose. Amoxapine is a mixed action antidepressant with significant neuroleptic activity in vivo. Its adverse effect profile is highlighted by symptoms related to its neuroleptic activity, and seizures and acute renal failure in overdose. Trazodone is a selective serotonergic agent with low anticholinergic activity, and minimal morbidity/mortality in overdose. Reports of priapism, leading to impotence in some men, however, is of concern. Nomifensine is a potent noradrenergic and dopaminergic agent with low anticholinergic activity, and minimum cardiotoxicity and low morbidity/mortality in overdose. Its most important adverse effects include overstimulation and infrequent, usually reversible, immunologic hypersensitivity reactions. Trazodone and nomifensine have favorable profiles for use in the elderly. Trazodone may be more favorable in the anxious/agitated patient due to its sedative effects, whereas nomifensine may be more beneficial in the retarded, apathetic patient.
 ...
PMID:Second generation antidepressants: a comparative review. 389 97

Major depression is a common and disabling disorder with far-reaching social and economic implications. Nonetheless, major depression is treatable by one of the many currently available antidepressants with response rates of approximately 65-70%. Treatment of depression has improved in recent years because of the availability of effective and well-tolerated antidepressants, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The currently available antidepressants are generally equally effective and are distinguished primarily by side-effect profiles. The side effects of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are attributed to their nonspecific interaction with cholinergic, histaminergic, serotonergic, and dopaminergic receptors in the central nervous system. The secondary amine TCAs, nortriptyline and desipramine, are preferred among the TCAs because of a more favorable side-effect profile. The TCAs are cardiotoxic, and overdoses are frequently fatal. Adverse effects, including potentially fatal drug and food interactions, limit the use of the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs); however, these agents have a role in the treatment of depression with comorbid anxiety, refractory depression, atypical depression, and bulimia. The SSRIs possess a class side-effect profile of headache, nausea, and sexual dysfunction. Individual differences in side effects may distinguish fluoxetine (nervousness, restlessness), sertraline (diarrhea, loose stools), and paroxetine (dry mouth). The SSRIs all inhibit certain cytochrome P450 isoenzymes involved in the metabolism of drugs, such as the TCAs, and each SSRI has been reported to increase plasma concentrations of concomitantly administered TCAs. Bupropion therapy is associated with a risk of seizure development, which can be minimized by multiple daily doses. Trazodone is sedating and can rarely cause priapism. The related compound, nefazodone, does not cause sexual dysfunction or priapism, but is associated with sedation. Venlafaxine, a recently available antidepressant that appears to have efficacy in treatment-refractory depression, may cause nausea that requires gradual upward dosage titration. Higher doses of venlafaxine may also cause elevations in blood pressure, heart rate, and serum cholesterol. As more is learned about the pathophysiology of depression, even more specific and well-tolerated antidepressants will be developed.
 ...
PMID:Contemporary management of depression. 799 23

Psychiatric medications cause side effects in several organ systems that need emergency evaluation and treatment. Serious cardiovascular side effects include postural hypotension, cardiac conduction blockade, and SA mode dysfunction; serious neurological side effects include extrapyramidal reactions, seizures, delirium, catatonia, pseudotumor cerebri, ataxia, and glaucoma; serious genitourinary side effects include urinary retention, nephrotic syndrome, and priapism, and the serious hematological side effect of agranulocytosis. Also potentially fatal syndromes secondary to psychiatric drugs are the neuroleptic malignant syndrome, hyperandrenergic crisis, the serotonin syndrome, and lithium toxicity. Individual psychiatric drug classes most notorious for causing side effects with high morbidity and mortality are low potency neuroleptics, clozapine, tertiary tricyclics, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and lithium.
 ...
PMID:Emergencies caused by side effects of psychiatric medications. 816 98

Priapism and acute neurological events are believed to be unrelated complications of sickle cell hemoglobinopathy. We describe a syndrome based on our experience and a review of the literature of significant neurological events after partial exchange transfusion to treat priapism in sicklemic patients. Severe headache is often the initiating symptom of this complex. The ensuing neurological events range from seizure activity to obtundation requiring ventilatory support. The proposed pathophysiology of these neurological events is related to cerebral ischemia after an acute increase in per cent total hemoglobin, concomitant decrease in per cent hemoglobin S and subsequent release of vasoactive substances during penile detumescence. We have termed this constellation of events the ASPEN syndrome, an eponym for association of sickle cell disease, priapism, exchange transfusion and neurological events. Early recognition and aggressive medical management resulted in complete reversal of neurological sequela.
 ...
PMID:Association of sickle cell disease, priapism, exchange transfusion and neurological events: ASPEN syndrome. 841 32

Cantharidin, known popularly as Spanish fly, has been used for millennia as a sexual stimulant. The chemical is derived from blister beetles and is notable for its vesicant properties. While most commonly available preparations of Spanish fly contain cantharidin in negligible amounts, if at all, the chemical is available illicitly in concentrations capable of causing severe toxicity. Symptoms of cantharidin poisoning include burning of the mouth, dysphagia, nausea, hematemesis, gross hematuria, and dysuria. Mucosal erosion and hemorrhage is seen in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Renal dysfunction is common and related to acute tubular necrosis and glomerular destruction. Priapism, seizures, and cardiac abnormalities are less commonly seen. We report four cases of cantharidin poisoning presenting to our emergency department with complaints of dysuria and dark urine. Three patients had abdominal pain, one had flank pain, and the one woman had vaginal bleeding. Three had hematuria and two had occult rectal bleeding. Low-grade disseminated intravascular coagulation, not previously associated with cantharidin poisoning, was noted in two patients. Management of cantharidin poisoning is supportive. Given the widespread availability of Spanish fly, its reputation as an aphrodisiac, and the fact that ingestion is frequently unwitting, cantharidin poisoning may be a more common cause of morbidity than is generally recognized. Cantharidin poisoning should be suspected in any patient presenting with unexplained hematuria or with GI hemorrhage associated with diffuse injury of the upper GI tract.
 ...
PMID:Poisoning from "Spanish fly" (cantharidin). 876 16

Nefazodone hydrochloride is a phenylpiperazine antidepressant with a mechanism of action that is distinct from those of other currently available drugs. It potently and selectively blocks postsynaptic serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) 5-HT2A receptors and moderately inhibits serotonin and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) reuptake. In short term clinical trials of 6 or 8 weeks' duration, nefazodone produced clinical improvements that were significantly greater than those with placebo and similar to those achieved with imipramine, and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) fluoxetine, paroxetine and sertraline. The optimum therapeutic dosage of nefazodone appears to be between 300 and 600 mg/day. Limited long term data suggest that nefazodone is effective in preventing relapse of depression in patients treated for up to 1 year. Analyses of pooled clinical trial results indicate that nefazodone and imipramine produces similar and significant improvements on anxiety- and agitation-related rating scales compared with placebo in patients with major depression. Short term tolerability data indicate that nefazodone has a lower incidence of adverse anticholinergic, antihistaminergic and adrenergic effects than imipramine. Compared with SSRIs, nefazodone causes fewer activating symptoms, adverse gastrointestinal effects (nausea, diarrhoea, anorexia) and adverse effects on sexual function, but is associated with more dizziness, dry mouth, constipation, visual disturbances and confusion. Available data also suggest that nefazodone is not associated with abnormal weight gain, seizures, priapism or significant sleep disruption, and appears to be relatively safe in overdosage. Nefazodone inhibits the cytochrome P450 3A4 isoenzyme and thus has the potential to interact with a number of drugs. Further long term and comparative studies will provide a more accurate assessment of the relative place of nefazodone in the management of major depression. Nonetheless, available data suggest that nefazodone is a worthwhile treatment alternative to tricyclic antidepressants and SSRIs in patients with major depression.
 ...
PMID:Nefazodone. A review of its pharmacology and clinical efficacy in the management of major depression. 921 Oct 88

The most venomous scorpion species are Buthotus tamulus of India, the Leiurus quinquestriatus and Androctonus crassicauda of North Africa and the Middle East, the Tityus serrulatus of Brazil, and the Centruroides suffussus of Mexico. The severity of scorpion envenomation varies with the scorpion's species, age, and size, and is much greater in children. Systemic intoxication reflects the overstimulation of the CNS, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Severity ranges from local pain and paresthesia to fatal cardiotoxicity and encephalopathy. Symptoms include: agitation, tachycardia, vomiting, abdominal pain, salivation, diaphoresis, dehydration, muscle rigidity and twitching, tremor, seizures, coma, pupillary changes, hyperthermia, tachyarrythmias and occasionally bradyarrhythmias, hypertension, and less often hypotension, cardiac failure, and priapism in males. Laboratory abnormalities include: hyperglycemia, leucocytosis, transient elevation of cardiac and pancreatic enzymes, ischemic changes in the ECG, and evidence of cardiac dysfunction on echocardiography. The principles of management are: observation, cardiac monitoring, supportive treatment with intravenous fluids and electrolytes, and a meticulous use of cardiovascular agents: vasodilators, adrenergic antagonists, or calcium channel blockers in the hypertensive phase; and inotropic agents in the event of hypotension. Antiarrhythmics such as lidocaine, may be required. There is increasing evidence for the efficacy of specific antivenom. The advance in supportive care and antivenom efficacy has markedly improved the outcome of patients with scorpion envenomation.
 ...
PMID:Clinical manifestations and management of scorpion envenomation. 1044 63


1 2 Next >>