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The weakness from LEMS typically involves the muscles of the proximal arms and legs (the muscles closer to the trunk). In contrast to myasthenia gravis, the weakness affects the legs more than the arms. This leads to difficulties climbing stairs and rising from a sitting position. Weakness is often relieved temporarily after exertion or physical exercise. High temperatures can worsen the symptoms. Weakness of the bulbar muscles (muscles of the mouth and throat) is occasionally encountered. Weakness of the eye muscles is uncommon. Some may have double vision, drooping of the eyelids and difficulty swallowing, but generally only together with leg weakness; this too distinguishes LEMS from myasthenia gravis, in which eye signs are much more common. In the advanced stages of the disease, weakness of the respiratory muscles may occur. Some may also experience problems with coordination (ataxia).
Three-quarters of people with LEMS also have disruption of the autonomic nervous system. This may be experienced as a dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, impaired sweating, and orthostatic hypotension (falls in blood pressure on standing, potentially leading to blackouts). Some report a metallic taste in the mouth.
On neurological examination, the weakness demonstrated with normal testing of power is often less severe than would be expected on the basis of the symptoms. Strength improves further with repeated testing, e.g. improvement of power on repeated hand grip (a phenomenon known as "Lambert's sign"). At rest, reflexes are typically reduced; with muscle use, reflex strength increases. This is a characteristic feature of LEMS. The pupillary light reflex may be sluggish.
In LEMS associated with lung cancer, most have no suggestive symptoms of cancer at the time, such as cough, coughing blood, and unintentional weight loss. LEMS associated with lung cancer may be more severe.
The types of CMS are classified into three categories: presynaptic, postsynaptic, and synaptic.
- "Presynaptic" symptoms include brief stops in breathing, weakness of the eye, mouth, and throat muscles. These symptoms often result in double vision and difficulty chewing and swallowing.
- "Postsynaptic" symptoms in infants include severe muscle weakness, feeding and respiratory problems, and delays in the ability to sit, crawl, and walk.
- "Synaptic" symptoms include early childhood feeding and respiratory problems, reduced mobility, curvature of the spine, and weakness, which causes a delay in motor milestones.
Onset symptoms for all ages may include droopy eyelids. A particular form of postsynaptic CMS (slow-channel CMS) includes severe weakness beginning in infancy or childhood that progresses and leads to loss of mobility and respiratory problems in adolescence or later life.
The presentation of this condition includes a characteristic facies. The cardiac manifestations include patent ductus arteriosus, congenital hypertrophy of the left ventricle, and pericardial effusions.
Neurodevelopmental outcome appears normal, but obsessive traits and anxiety have been reported. It may also be associated with recurrent infections with low immunoglobulin levels and gastric bleeding, and additional possible associations include lymphoedema and heterochromia iridis.
Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is a rare autoimmune disorder characterized by muscle weakness of the limbs. It is the result of an autoimmune reaction in which antibodies are formed against presynaptic voltage-gated calcium channels, and likely other nerve terminal proteins, in the neuromuscular junction (the connection between nerves and the muscle that they supply). The prevalence is 3.4 cases per million. Around 60% of those with LEMS have an underlying malignancy, most commonly small-cell lung cancer; it is therefore regarded as a paraneoplastic syndrome (a condition that arises as a result of cancer elsewhere in the body).
LEMS usually occurs in people over 40 years of age, but may occur at any age. The diagnosis is usually confirmed with electromyography and blood tests; these also distinguish it from myasthenia gravis, a related autoimmune neuromuscular disease.
If the disease is associated with cancer, direct treatment of the cancer often relieves the symptoms of LEMS. Other treatments often used are steroids, azathioprine, which suppress the immune system, intravenous immunoglobulin, which outcompetes autoreactive antibody for Fc receptors, and pyridostigmine and 3,4-diaminopyridine, which enhance the neuromuscular transmission. Occasionally, plasma exchange is required to remove the antibodies.
Due to weakness of the muscles of facial expression and muscles of mastication, facial weakness may manifest as the inability to hold the mouth closed (the "hanging jaw sign") and as a snarling expression when attempting to smile. With drooping eyelids, facial weakness may make the individual appear sleepy or sad. Difficulty in holding the head upright may occur.
Weakness of the muscles involved in speaking may lead to dysarthria and hypophonia. Speech may be slow and slurred, or have a nasal quality. In some cases, a singing hobby or profession must be abandoned.
Al-Raqad syndrome (ARS) is a congenital autosomal recessive syndrome discovered by Jordanian physician Mohammad Al-Raqad.
It's characterized by:
- microcephaly
- growth delay
- Psycho-motor developmental delay
- congenital hypotonia.
Al-Raqad syndrome is caused by mutation of DCPS gene.
Associated symptoms range from things such as colobomas of the eyes, heart defects, ichthyosiform dermatosis, intellectual disability, and ear abnormalities. Further symptoms that may be suggested include characteristic facies, hearing loss, and cleft palate.
Immune-mediated diseases include a variety of diseases not only affecting the neuromuscular junction. Immune-mediated disorders range from simple and common problems such as allergies to disorders such as HIV/AIDS. Within this classification, autoimmune disorders are considered to be a subset of immune-mediated syndromes. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's immune system begins to target its own cells, often causing harmful effects.
The neuromuscular junction diseases present within this subset are myasthenia gravis, and Lambert-Eaton syndrome.(reference 26) In each of these diseases, a receptor or other protein essential to normal function of the junction is targeted by antibodies in an autoimmune attack by the body.
Metabolic diseases are usually a result of abnormal functioning of one of the metabolic processes required for regular production and utilization of energy in a cell. This can occur by damaging or disabling an important enzyme, or when a feedback system is abnormally functioning. Toxic diseases are a result of a form of poison that effects neuromuscular junction functioning. Most commonly animal venom or poison, or other toxic substances are the origin of the problem.
Neuromuscular junction diseases in this category include snake venom poisoning, botulism, arthropod poisoning, organophosphates and hypermagnesemia.(reference 13) Organophosphates are present in many insecticides and herbicides. They are also the basis of many nerve gases.(reference 27) Hypermagnesmia is a condition where the balance of magnesium in the body is unstable and concentrations are higher than normal baseline values.(reference 28)
Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) is an inherited neuromuscular disorder caused by defects of several types at the neuromuscular junction. The effects of the disease are similar to Lambert-Eaton Syndrome and myasthenia gravis, the difference being that CMS is not an autoimmune disorder.
Most of the signs of MWS are present during the neonatal period. The most common signs at this state are multiple congenital joint contractures, dysmorphic features with mask-like face, blepharophimosis, ptosis, micrognathia, cleft or high arched palate, low-set ears, arachnodactyly, chest deformation as pectus, kyphoscoliosis and absent deep tendon reflexes are frequent minor malformations have also been described and consist of renal anomalies, cardiovascular abnormalities, hypospadias, omphalomesenteric duct, hypertriphic pyloric stenosis, duodenal bands, hyoplastic right lower lobe of the lung, displacement of the larynx to the right and vertebral abnormalities, cerebral malformations.
- 75% of children with MWS have blepharophimosis, small mouth, micrognathia, kyphosis/scoliosis, radio ulnar synostose and multiple contractures.
- They have severe developmental delay; congenital joint contractures and blepharophimosis should be present in every patient
- 2 out of 3 of the following signs should be manifested: post natal growth, mask-like faces, retardation, and decreased muscular mass.
- Some may require additional signs such as; micrognathia, high arched or cleft palate, low set ears, kyphoscoliosis.
- The symptoms of MWS are normally diagnosed during the newborn period
The syndrome causes cerebellar ataxia (balance and coordination problems), mental retardation, congenital cataracts in early childhood, muscle weakness, inability to chew food, thin brittle fingernails, and sparse hair.
Small stature, mild to severe mental retardation and dysarthria (slow, imprecise speech) are usually present.
Various skeletal abnormalities (e.g., curvature of the spine) and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism often occur.
Muscle weakness is progressive, but life expectancy is near normal.
The natural history of MWS is not well known: many patients died in infancy and clinical follow-up has been reported in few surviving adults. However, diagnosis may be more difficult to establish in adults patients, such as: blepharophimosis, contractures, growth retardation, and developmental delay, whereas minor face anomalies are less noticeable as the patient grows older. Throughout the development of the patient from young child to older adult changes the behavior drastically, from kindness to restless and hyperactive to aggressive.
The differential diagnosis of this condition consists of:
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
- Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy
Zunich–Kaye syndrome, also known as Zunich neuroectodermal syndrome, is a rare congenital ichthyosis first described in 1983. It is also referred to as CHIME syndrome, after its main symptoms (colobomas, heart defects, ichthyosiform dermatosis, intellectual disability, and either ear defects or epilepsy). It is a congenital syndrome with only a few cases studied and published.
CCD causes persistent secretory diarrhea. In a fetus, it leads to polyhydramnios and premature birth. Immediately after birth, it leads to dehydration, hypoelectrolytemia, hyperbilirubinemia, abdominal distention, and failure to thrive.
The clinical manifestations present at birth are generalized hypotonia, muscle weakness, developmental delay with mental retardation and occasional seizures. The congenital muscular dystrophy is characterized by hypoglycosylation of α-dystroglycan.
Those born with the disease also experience severe ocular and brain defects. Half of all children with WWS are born with encephalocele, which is a gap in the skull that will not seal. The meninges of the brain protrude through this gap due to the neural tube failing to close during development. A malformation of the a baby's cerebellum is often a sign of this disease.Common ocular issues associated with WWS are abnormally small eyes and retinal abnormalities cause by an underdeveloped light-sensitive area in the back of the eye.
This syndrome is characterised by typical facial appearance, slight build, thin and translucent skin, severely adducted thumbs, arachnodactyly, club feet, joint instability, facial clefting and bleeding disorders, as well as heart, kidney or intestinal defects. Severe psychomotor and developmental delay and decreased muscle tone may also be present during infancy. Cognitive development during childhood is normal.
This syndrome is associated with microcephaly, arthrogryposis and cleft palate and various craniofacial, respiratory, neurological and limb abnormalities, including bone and joint defects of the upper limbs, adducted thumbs, camptodactyly and talipes equinovarus or calcaneovalgus. It is characterized by craniosynostosis, and myopathy in association with congenital generalized hypertrichosis.
Patients with the disease are considered intellectually disabled. Most die in childhood. Patients often suffer from respiratory difficulties such as pneumonia, and from seizures due to dysmyelination in the brain's white matter. It has been hypothesized that the Moro reflex (startle reflex in infants) may be a tool in detecting the congenital clapsed thumb early in infancy. The thumb normally extends as a result of this reflex.
Diagnosis of MSS is based on clinical symptoms, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain (cerebellar atrophy particularly involving the cerebellar vermis), and muscle biopsy.
It can be associated with mutations of the SIL1 gene, and a mutation can be found in about 50% of cases.
Differential diagnosis includes Congenital Cataracts Facial Dysmorphism Neuropathy (CCFDN), Marinesco–Sjögren like syndrome with chylomicronemia, carbohydrate deficient glycoprotein syndromes, Lowe syndrome, and mitochondrial disease.
Dental features:
- small teeth in males
- pointed (screwdriver shaped or conical) incisors (sometimes called Hutchinson teeth)
- incisors with an irregulal incisal edge
- canines: enlarged and globular; may be dome or bud shaped with trilobed edge
- premolars and molars: small, round and globular; may have supernumary lobes (mulberry or lotus flower shape)
- widely separated teeth (diastemma)
- hypoplastic enamel
- dental agenesis
- presence of mesiodents (median incisor behind normal upper incisors)
- pulp chamber anomalies
Facial features:
- anteverted pinnae
- long face
- prominent nasal bridge and nose
- prognathism occasionally
Ophthalmic features:
- bilateral congenital nuclear opacities (100%)
- severe amblyopia
- nystagmus (93%)
- strabismus (43%)
- microcornea (96%)
- congenital glaucoma
- scleral staphylomas
- retinal cystoid degeneration
- microphthalmia
These lead to severe visual impairment in affected males.
Other:
- The fourth metacarpal may be shortened
30% of patients also have some degree of intellectual impairment: of these 80% are mildly to moderately affected: the other 20% may have developmental delays and behavior problems.
Carrier females display milder variable symptoms of disease. Ocular signs are present in 90% of heterozygous females. These are typically lens opacities often involving the posterior Y sutures. More rarely dental anomalies and the characteristic facial features may also occur.
Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) is a rare disorder characterized by congenital absence of skin. Frieden classified ACC in 1986 into 9 groups on the basis of location of the lesions and associated congenital anomalies. The scalp is the most commonly involved area with lesser involvement of trunk and extremities. Frieden classified ACC with fetus papyraceus as type 5. This type presents as truncal ACC with symmetrical absence of skin in stellate or butterfly pattern with or without involvement of proximal limbs.]It is the most common congenital cicatricial alopecia, and is a congenital focal absence of epidermis with or without evidence of other layers of the skin.
The exact etiology of ACC is still unclear but intrauterine infection by varicella or herpes virus, drugs such as methimazole, misoprostol, valproate, cocaine, marijuana etc., fetus papyraceus, feto-fetal transfusion, vascular coagulation defects, amniotic membrane adherence, abnormal elastic fiber biomechanical forces and trauma are implicated. It can be associated with Johanson-Blizzard syndrome, Adams-Oliver syndrome, trisomy 13, and Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome.
It can also seen with exposure to methimazole and carbimazole in utero. This dermatological manifestation has been linked to Peptidase D haploinsufficiency and a deletion in Chromosome 19.
CCD may be detectable on prenatal ultrasound. After birth, signs in affected babies typically are abdominal distension, visible peristalsis, and watery stools persistent from birth that show chloride loss of more than 90 mmol/l.
An important feature in this diarrhea that helps in the diagnosis, is that it is the only type of diarrhea that causes metabolic alkalosis rather than metabolic acidosis.
Walker–Warburg syndrome (WWS), also called Warburg syndrome, Chemke syndrome, HARD syndrome (Hydrocephalus, Agyria and Retinal Dysplasia), Pagon syndrome, cerebroocular dysgenesis (COD) or cerebroocular dysplasia-muscular dystrophy syndrome (COD-MD), is a rare form of autosomal recessive congenital muscular dystrophy. It is associated with brain (lissencephaly, hydrocephalus, cerebellar malformations) and eye abnormalities. This condition has a worldwide distribution. The overall incidence is unknown but a survey in North-eastern Italy has reported an incidence rate of 1.2 per 100,000 live births. It is the most severe form of congenital muscular dystrophy with most children dying before the age of three years.