Rhabdomyolysis and autoimmune variant stiff-person syndrome

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurologic disorder characterized by waxing and waning muscular rigidity, stiffness and spasms. Three subtypes have been described: paraneoplastic, autoimmune and idiopathic. Rhabdomyolysis has been described in the paraneoplastic variant, but to our knowledge n...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shreyas Gangadhara, Suhas Gangadhara, Chetan Gandhy, Derrick Robertson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2016-11-01
Series:Clinics and Practice
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.clinicsandpractice.org/index.php/cp/article/view/885
Description
Summary:Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurologic disorder characterized by waxing and waning muscular rigidity, stiffness and spasms. Three subtypes have been described: paraneoplastic, autoimmune and idiopathic. Rhabdomyolysis has been described in the paraneoplastic variant, but to our knowledge no case has been reported involving the autoimmune variant. We report a case report of a 50-year-old man with history of SPS who presented with recurrent episodes of severe limb and back spasms. He was hospitalized on two separate occasions for uncontrollable spasms associated with renal failure and creatinine phosphokinase elevations of 55,000 and 22,000 U/L respectively. Laboratory tests were otherwise unremarkable. The acute renal failure resolved during both admissions with supportive management. Rhabdomyolysis has the potential to be fatal and early diagnosis is essential. It should be considered in patients who have SPS and are experiencing an exacerbation of their neurologic condition.
ISSN:2039-7275
2039-7283