Isolated transient myoclonus in the elderly: an under-recognized condition?
Clin Neurol Neurosurg
; 117: 51-54, 2014 Feb.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-24438805
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Cases of transient myoclonus without other neurological manifestations in the elderly have very rarely been reported.OBJECTIVE:
To report clinical features of elderly people with isolated transient myoclonus.METHODS:
Clinical and laboratory features of 11 consecutive patients with isolated transient myoclonus (six men and five women; mean age, 75 years) were reviewed. Transient myoclonus was defined as an acute onset of tremulous myoclonus with/without asterixis in adults without other neurological symptoms.RESULTS:
Preceding infections were recorded in five patients (pneumonia, two; upper respiratory tract infection, two; and septic arthritis of the shoulder, one). Myoclonus predominantly affected the head and/or neck (n=10) and upper extremities (n=11), compared with the trunk (n=2) and lower extremities (n=6). Asterixis was observed in six patients. Laboratory testing, neuroimaging, and electroencephalograms revealed no specific abnormalities. With or without treatment using benzodiazepines, myoclonus in all patients resolved completely within 1-4 days, although five had recurrence 2-19 months after their first episodes. Among these five patients, the accompanying asterixis patterns (presence or not) in four were different in the first and subsequent episodes.CONCLUSIONS:
Isolated transient myoclonus with or without asterixis may be more common than generally believed, and it could be a clinical entity or disease spectrum. Transient myoclonus is a benign condition in the elderly, but can be under-reported or misdiagnosed. Therefore, it is important to recognize that the elderly may have this syndrome.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Idoso
/
Mioclonia
Tipo de estudo:
Etiology_studies
Limite:
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Clin Neurol Neurosurg
Ano de publicação:
2014
Tipo de documento:
Article