[From stiff man syndrome to stiff person spectrum disorders].

[From stiff man syndrome to stiff person spectrum disorders]. Nervenarzt. 2018 Feb 05;: Authors: Meinck HM, Balint B Abstract The identification of new variants of the stiff man syndrome (SMS) and of new, probably pathogenic neuronal autoantibodies has led to the concept of stiff man (or person) spectrum disorders (SPSD). This is an expanding group of rare chronic autoimmune inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) that have in common the main symptoms of fluctuating rigidity and spasms with pronounced stimulus sensitivity. These core symptoms are mandatory and can be accompanied by a wide variety of other neurological signs. The SPSDs are associated with autoantibodies directed against neuronal proteins that attenuate excitability. Neither clinical phenotypes nor the course of SPSD correlate closely with the antibody status. The treatment of these diseases aims at maintaining mobility and is pragmatically oriented to the degree of impediment and comprises antispastic, anticonvulsant and immunomodulating or immunosuppressive medication strategies. PMID: 29404645 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Der Nervenarzt - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Nervenarzt Source Type: research