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Many doctors commonly recommend a combined treatment of: a warm compress applied to the eyes (to relieve muscle tension, relax the muscles, and reduce swelling); a small dosage of antihistamine (to reduce any swelling that may be caused by an allergic reaction); increase bed rest (to allow muscles to rest); decrease exposure to computer screens, televisions, or harsh lighting (to allow muscles to rest); and monitor caffeine intake (too much caffeine can cause an adverse reaction such as eye twitching, but a controlled dose can serve as an effective treatment by increasing blood flow).
Depending on subtype, many patients find that acetazolamide therapy is useful in preventing attacks. In some cases, persistent attacks result in tendon shortening, for which surgery is required.
Frequent contributing factors include: too much caffeine, high levels of anxiety, fatigue, dehydration, stress, overwork, and a lack of sleep. Use of certain drugs or alcohol may also be factors.
Magnesium deficiency.
There is no known cure for neuromyotonia, but the condition is treatable. Anticonvulsants, including phenytoin and carbamazepine, usually provide significant relief from the stiffness, muscle spasms, and pain associated with neuromyotonia. Plasma exchange and IVIg treatment may provide short-term relief for patients with some forms of the acquired disorder. It is speculated that the plasma exchange causes an interference with the function of the voltage-dependent potassium channels, one of the underlying issues of hyper-excitability in autoimmune neuromyotonia. Botox injections also provide short-term relief. Immunosuppressants such as Prednisone may provide long term relief for patients with some forms of the acquired disorder.
The long-term prognosis is uncertain, and has mostly to do with the underlying cause; i.e. autoimmune, paraneoplastic, etc. However, in recent years increased understanding of the basic mechanisms of NMT and autoimmunity has led to the development of novel treatment strategies. NMT disorders are now amenable to treatment and their prognoses are good. Many patients respond well to treatment, which usually provide significant relief of symptoms. Some cases of spontaneous remission have been noted, including Isaac's original two patients when followed up 14 years later.
While NMT symptoms may fluctuate, they generally don't deteriorate into anything more serious, and with the correct treatment the symptoms are manageable.
A very small proportion of cases with NMT may develop central nervous system findings in their clinical course, causing a disorder called Morvan's syndrome, and they may also have antibodies against potassium channels in their serum samples. Sleep disorder is only one of a variety of clinical conditions observed in Morvan's syndrome cases ranging from confusion and memory loss to hallucinations and delusions. However, this is a separate disorder.
Some studies have linked NMT with certain types of cancers, mostly lung and thymus, suggesting that NMT may be paraneoplastic in some cases. In these cases, the underlying cancer will determine prognosis. However, most examples of NMT are autoimmune and not associated with cancer.
In most of the reported cases, the treatment options were very similar. Plasmapheresis alone or in combination with steroids, sometimes also with thymectomy and azathioprine, have been the most frequently used therapeutic approach in treating Morvan’s Syndrome. However, this does not always work, as failed response to steroids and to subsequently added plasmapheresis have been reported. Intravenous immunoglobulin was effective in one case.
In one case, the dramatic response to high-dose oral prednisolone together with pulse methylprednisolone with almost complete disappearance of the symptoms within a short period should induce consideration of corticosteroids.
In another case, the subject was treated with haloperidol (6 mg/day) with some improvement in the psychomotor agitation and hallucinations, but even high doses of carbamazepine given to the subject failed to improve the spontaneous muscle activity. Plasma Exchange (PE) was initiated, and after the third such session, the itching, sweating, mental disturbances, and complex nocturnal behavior improved and these symptoms completely disappeared after the sixth session, with improvement in insomnia and reduced muscle twitching. However, one month after the sixth PE session, there was a progressive worsening of insomnia and diurnal drowsiness, which promptly disappeared after another two PE sessions.
In one case there high dose steroid treatment resulted in a transient improvement, but aggressive immuno-suppressive therapy with cyclophosphamide was necessary to control the disease and result in a dramatic clinical improvement.
In another case, the subject was treated with prednisolone (1 mg/kg body weight) with carbamazepine, propanolol, and amitriptyline. After two weeks, improvement with decreased stiffness and spontaneous muscle activity and improved sleep was observed. After another 7–10 days, the abnormal sleep behavior disappeared completely.
In another case, symptomatic improvement with plasmapheresis, thymectomy, and chronic immunosuppression provide further support for an autoimmune or paraneoplastic basis.
Although thymectomy is believed to be a key element in the proposed treatment, there is a reported case of Morvan’s Syndrome presenting itself post-thymectomy.
Episodic ataxia (EA) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by sporadic bouts of ataxia (severe discoordination) with or without myokymia (continuous muscle movement). There are seven types recognised but the majority are due to two recognized entities. Ataxia can be provoked by stress, startle, or heavy exertion such as exercise. Symptoms can first appear in infancy. There are at least 6 loci for EA, of which 4 are known genes. Some patients with EA also have migraine or progressive cerebellar degenerative disorders, symptomatic of either familial hemiplegic migraine or spinocerebellar ataxia. Some patients respond to acetazolamide though others do not.
There are only about 14 reported cases of Morvan's syndrome in the English Literature. With only a limited number of reported cases, the complete spectrum of the Central Nervous System (CNS) symptomatology has not been well established. The natural history of Morvan’s is highly variable. Two cases have been reported to remit spontaneously. Others have required a combination of plasmapheresis and long term immunosuppression, although in one of these cases the patient died shortly after receiving plasma exchange (PE). Other fatalities without remission have been described by, amongst others, Morvan himself.
Treatment can include pharmaceutical or surgical means. The drug carbamazepine (Tegretol) has been used successfully. Other drugs used with variable success include gabapentin and, recently, memantine. Successful surgery options include superior oblique tenectomy accompanied by inferior oblique myectomy. However, "Overall, the bulk of the ophthalmic literature would agree with the viewpoint that invasive craniotomy surgical procedures should be justified only by the presence of intractable and absolutely unbearable symptoms."
Samii et al. and Scharwey and Samii described a patient who had superior oblique myokymia for 17 years. The interposition of a Teflon pad between the trochlear nerve and a compressing artery and vein at the nerve's exit from the midbrain led to a remission lasting for a follow-up of 22 months.
In 1983, Bringewald postulated that superior oblique myokymia resulted from vascular compression of the trochlear nerve (fourth cranial nerve), which controls the action of the superior oblique muscle in the eye. By 1998, there had been only one reported case of compression of the trochlear nerve by vessels.
More recently, magnetic resonance imaging experiments have shown that neurovascular compression at the root exit zone of the trochlear nerve can result in superior oblique myokymia.
Immunosuppressive therapies, encompassing corticosteroids, azathioprine, methotrexate and more recently, rituximab, are the mainstay of therapy. Other treatments include PE, IVIG, and thymectomy. Patients reportedly exhibited a heterogenous response to immunomodulation.
Antiepileptics can be used for symptomatic relief of peripheral nerve hyperexcitability. Indeed, some patients have exhibited a spontaneous remission of symptoms.
5 had positive response to immunotherapy and tumor therapy, 10 partial response, and 6 no response. Eventually 5 patients died; all had a tumor or additional paraneoplastic symptoms related to onconeuronal antibodies. Coexistence of onconeuronal antibodies predicted a poor outcome.
Fifty percent of patients with acute Sydenham's chorea spontaneously recover after two to six months whilst mild or moderate chorea or other motor symptoms can persist for up to and over two years in some cases. Sydenham's is also associated with psychiatric symptoms with obsessive compulsive disorder being the most frequent manifestation.
Treatment of Sydenham's Chorea is based on the following principles:
1. The first tenet of treatment is to eliminate the streptococcus at a primary, secondary and tertiary level. Strategies involve the adequate treatment of throat and skin infections, with a course of penicillin when Sydenham's Chorea is newly diagnosed, followed by long-term penicillin prophylaxis. Behavioural and emotional changes may precede the movement disorders in a previously well child.
2. Treatment of movement disorders. Therapeutic efforts are limited to palliation of the movement disorders. Haloperidol is frequently used because of its anti-dopaminergic effect. It has serious potential side-effects, e.g., tardive dyskinesia. In a study conducted at the RFC, 25 out of 39 patients on haloperidol reported side-effects severe enough to cause the physician or parent to discontinue treatment or reduce the dose. Other medications which have been used to control the movements include pimozide, clonidine, valproic acid, carbamazepine and phenobarbitone.
3. Immunomodulatory interventions include steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins, and plasma exchange. Patients may benefit from treatment with steroids; controlled clinical trials are indicated to explore this further.
4. There are several historical case series reporting successful treatment of Sydenham's Chorea by inducing fever.