Stiff Person Syndrome
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Stiff Person Syndrome
You’ve probably heard of stiff person syndrome. Maybe you or a family member has been diagnosed with it, and maybe you’re wondering what it is and how to manage symptoms. Or maybe you’re just looking for more information about this rare condition.
In any case, we’ve got you covered! In this article, we’ll cover everything from the definition of stiff person syndrome to causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options available today. We’ll also offer some advice on how to live with the condition and manage your daily activities safely – so let’s get started!
What is stiff person syndrome?
Stiff person syndrome is a rare neurological disease that causes progressive stiffness and pain. It’s also known as stiff man syndrome, but that name can be misleading because not all patients are men.
Stiff person syndrome affects the central nervous system, which includes your brain and spinal cord. The condition can be debilitating and even fatal if it goes untreated or progresses without treatment over time.
There are two types of stiff person syndrome: type 1 (Werdnig-Hoffmann disease) and type 2 (spinal muscular atrophy). Both conditions cause muscle stiffness throughout the body but differ in how they affect your muscles and nerves–and how those symptoms progress over time.
What causes stiff person syndrome?
Stiff person syndrome is caused by a genetic mutation. The mutation is not inherited, and it’s specific to stiff person syndrome. The mutation occurs in the SMN1 gene, which makes survival motor neuron protein (SMN). This protein plays an important role in cell survival, muscle movement and coordination.
Symptoms of stiff person syndrome
- Muscle stiffness
- Muscle spasms
- Painful muscle spasms
- Difficulty walking, or even moving the head or neck. The person may also have difficulty swallowing food and drink, as well as talking with others because of pain in their muscles.
The person may have trouble breathing and swallowing, as well as speaking. He or she will likely have difficulty moving their head and neck muscles because of pain.
Diagnosis of stiff person syndrome
- When doctors suspect stiff person syndrome, they’ll perform a series of tests. These include:
- Blood tests to check for abnormalities in the blood and other bodily fluids.
- MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans, which use magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of organs and tissues inside your body. An MRI may be used to look for damage in the brain or spinal cord that could indicate stiff person syndrome. It can also help rule out other conditions that might cause similar symptoms as stiff person syndrome but are less serious than this rare disease.
Treatments for stiff person syndrome
Stiff person syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and pain.
Stiff person syndrome has no cure, but treatments can help relieve symptoms and make it easier to manage the disease. Your doctor may recommend:
- Medications. Drugs called antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may help reduce seizures in people with stiff person syndrome who have frequent seizures or unusual movements caused by their condition. These medications include gabapentin (Neurontin), pregabalin (Lyrica), topiramate (Topamax) and carbamazepine (Tegretol). You’ll need to take these drugs for life because they don’t cure stiff person syndrome; they just control some of its symptoms
There is a lot of support for people with stiff person syndrome
Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare autoimmune disorder, which means it’s caused by your body attacking itself. SPS affects around 1 in every 100,000 people worldwide and causes stiffness in the muscles of the trunk and limbs that can last for several months or years at a time.
There are many support groups for stiff person syndrome including:
- The Stiff Person Syndrome Association (SPSA) – this charity helps patients and their families find local support groups and provides information about treatments, research into SPS and how to raise awareness about the condition. They offer telephone support or you can email them at [email protected]
Stiff person syndrome is a rare neurological disease that causes progressive stiffness and pain.
Stiff person syndrome is a rare neurological disease that causes progressive stiffness and pain.
Stiff person syndrome typically begins in middle age, but it can also occur in children or older adults. The cause of stiff person syndrome isn’t known, but it’s thought to be related to damage to certain parts of the brain (cerebellum and spinal cord).
Symptoms include:
- Progressive stiffness and pain in your muscles that gets worse over time; symptoms may come on suddenly or develop slowly over days or weeks
- Stiffness that worsens when you move suddenly and lasts for more than 24 hours after activity stops
- Loss of muscle strength in your arms and legs; sometimes this leads to difficulty walking, climbing stairs, or lifting objects
If you would like to get an opinion about this syndrome, we will be happy to bring you together with our experienced doctors.
For More Information
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