Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0040822 (tremor)
 18,428 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A 58-year-old male liver cirrhosis patient, who had a history of recurrent hepatic encephalopathy, was admitted to our hospital because of clouding of consciousness. He had an episode of recent head trauma. On admission, he was drowsy and exhibited flapping tremor, fetor hepaticus and ascites. Laboratory data showed an increase in blood ammonia level, and a decrease in peripheral thrombocytes, serum albumin and prothrombin value. A ratio of branched-chain to aromatic amino acids was reduced. Antibody against hepatitis C virus was positive. His electroencephalogram showed bilaterally large synchronous slow waves. He was treated with intravenous branched-chain amino acids, and recovered. Cranial computed tomography on day 9 demonstrated a crescent shaped area of low density in the right frontotempoparietal subdural region. He was diagnosed as chronic subdural hematoma, which was treated surgically. It has been suggested that chronic subdural hematomas develop as a complication of hemostatic deficiency due to liver cirrhosis.
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PMID:[A case of liver cirrhosis associated with chronic subdural hematoma and hepatic encephalopathy]. 174 68

Lithium (Eskalith) is commonly used in the treatment of depressive and bipolar affective disorders, in a population at relatively high risk for overdose. Lithium may help correct a chemical imbalance in the brain; however, it has a comparatively narrow therapeutic index. Thus, lithium intoxication is a frequent complication of chronic lithium therapy. The central nervous system (CNS) is the major organ system affected, although the renal, gastrointestinal (GI), endocrine, and cardiovascular (CV) systems also may be involved. Here we present a forty-two-year-old Caucasian female with altered mental status, inability to eat, speak or walk properly, with shaking and vomiting for three days. Past medical history was significant for hepatitis C and bipolar disorder. Vital signs were within normal limits. Physical exam revealed a patient with aphasia, tremor, and an expressionless face, able to make eye contact and move all four extremities. However, she was unable to follow commands and she expressed rigidity of extremities, mild tachycardia, and stupor. Severely elevated serum lithium levels were found. A diagnosis of severe lithium toxicity was made and the patient was admitted to the telemetry unit. Intravenous hydration with normal saline was initiated as the patient had normal kidney function, and urinary output was monitored. All psychotropic medications were held except for a benzodiazepine. In the meantime the patient developed acute respiratory distress, was intubated on clinical grounds and was transferred to the intensive care unit. Acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema and other causes of respiratory distress were ruled out; diagnosis of Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) was made. After two months of mechanical ventilation, the patient was stabilized. Mental status, vital signs, and all laboratory parameters including thyroid function tests, normalized. The patient was transferred to a rehabilitation center. This is a rare case of ARDS associated with lithium intoxication.
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PMID:Prolonged requirement for ventilatory support in a patient with Eskalith overdose. 1641 84

The impact of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) on the clinical practice of haemophilia in the UK is coloured by the haemophilia community's experience of hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission via plasma-derived therapies in the 1980s, when the delay in recognizing and acting on the potential risks cost many patients their lives and left others to manage another chronic disease. This crisis prompted organisations such as the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation to advocate for the introduction of haemophilia therapies that would not be susceptible to contamination with blood-borne pathogens. After the identification of vCJD in 1996, a number of public health measures were taken in response to a government-sponsored vCJD risk assessment, and following reports of transfusion-transmission of vCJD, additional guidelines have been developed to prevent person-to-person transmission, some of which may impact the quality and availability of medical and surgical care. Variant CJD has had a significant negative effect on the UK haemophilia community, shaking patient confidence in the therapies they have received over the last 21 years, affecting the quality of care and creating the risk of stigmatizing the community as it was in the 1980s. As with HIV and vCJD, emerging blood-borne infectious agents will likely affect blood and blood-derived therapies well before we become aware of its presence. As a result, only therapies with the lowest level of risk should be used for care of patients with haemophilia.
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PMID:Clinical implications of emerging pathogens in haemophilia: the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease experience. 1644 13

Acquired (non-Wilsonian) hepatocerebral degeneration (AHD) is a chronic brain disorder caused by liver dysfunction and long-standing portal-systemic shunting. It typically presents with dysathria, ataxia, tremor, involuntary movements and altered mental status, and often does not respond to conventional medical therapy for hepatic encephalopathy. There is scarce and conflicting information regarding the clinical course of AHD after liver transplantation (OLT). We present a case of a 47-year-old woman with hepatitis C (HCV) cirrhosis who developed severe manifestations of AHD after multiple bouts of hepatic encephalopathy. Her first OLT was complicated with primary nonfunction requiring immediate retransplantation. The second OLT led to complete clinical and radiological resolution of the AHD. However the patient developed recurrence of AHD 11 months post-transplant due to recurrent HCV and chronic rejection leading to cirrhosis of the graft. The patient developed severe neurological symptoms, despite mild synthetic graft dysfunction. A third OLT led again to disappearance of the clinical and radiological manifestations of AHD. AHD may show complete resolution after OLT; however it may rapidly recur following recurrent liver disease or graft dysfunction.
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PMID:Acquired hepatocerebral degeneration in a patient with HCV cirrhosis: complete resolution with subsequent recurrence after liver transplantation. 1679 48

The "new" antiepileptic drug levetiracetam has the unique mechanisms of antiepileptic activity. Various recent studies revealed its efficacy and safety in different forms of epilepsy both as a monotherapy and an additional therapy. The low frequency of side-effects and minimal interactions with other drugs allow to use levetiracetam in elderly patients and in patients with severe co-morbid diseases including AIDS and hepatitis C receiving the corresponding therapy. Moreover, the efficacy of levetiracepam in other neurological diseases: chronic headaches, i.e., migraine, neuropathic pain, including patients with cancer, movement disorders (myoclonus, dystonia and dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, have been revealed.
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PMID:[The possibilities of using keppra (levetiracetam) in different neurological diseases]. 1943 Dec 51

Interferons are a set of cytokines that activate antiviral responses by the body's immune cells and have been a mainstay of treatment of hepatitis C. Well-known neuropsychiatric effects of interferons include depression, irritability, and impaired concentration. A condition reported rarely in association with this treatment is parkinsonism. We report 2 patients who developed parkinsonism in conjunction with treatment of hepatitis C with alpha interferons. The first is a 51-year-old man who developed intermittent rest and postural tremor during treatment with pegylated interferon alpha ribavirin, and amantadine, with resolution of the symptoms after completing a 36-week course. Similar tremor recurred 3 years later with progressive parkinsonism, compatible with Parkinson disease (PD). The second patient is a 71-year-old man who developed postural tremor 8 weeks into a regimen of consensus interferon. Tremor resolved at completion of 48 weeks of interferon. Pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin were started 2 years later because of lack of sustained virologic response. At 24 weeks of treatment, postural tremor returned along with features and a progressive course compatible with PD. Thus, both patients presented here developed (rest and/or postural) tremor during interferon therapy followed by delayed onset of parkinsonism. We identified 10 other cases in the literature of parkinsonism/PD associated with interferon administration. This report reviews the clinical presentation and potential pathophysiological mechanisms and recommends that physicians who prescribe interferon be vigilant for symptoms of PD in their patients.
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PMID:Parkinsonism in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Treated With Interferons: Case Reports and Review of the Literature. 2675 10