| Dystonia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A person with medication-induced dystonia | |
| Specialty | Neurology |
| Complications | physical disabilities (contractures, torticollis),[1] pain and fatigue[2] |
| Causes | hereditary (DYT1); birth injury; head trauma; medication; infection; toxins |
| Diagnostic method | genetic testing, electromyography, blood tests, MRI or CT scan |
| Treatment | medication, physical therapy, botulinum toxin injection, deep brain stimulation |
| Medication | anticholinergics, dopamine agonists |
Dystonia is a neurological hyperkinetic movement disorder in which sustained or repetitive muscle contractions occur involuntarily, resulting in twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal fixed postures.[3] The movements may resemble a tremor. Dystonia is often intensified or exacerbated by physical activity, and symptoms may progress into adjacent muscles.[4]
The disorder may be hereditary or caused by other factors such as birth-related or other physical trauma, infection, poisoning (e.g., lead poisoning) or reaction to pharmaceutical drugs, particularly neuroleptics,[3] or stress. Treatment must be highly customized to the needs of the individual and may include oral medications, chemodenervation botulinum neurotoxin injections, physical therapy, or other supportive therapies, and surgical procedures such as deep brain stimulation.
- ^ "Dystonia". BMJ Best Practice. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ "Dystonia". NCH Healthcare System. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 8 March 2006. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Dystonias Fact Sheet". National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ Balint B, Bhatia KP (August 2014). "Dystonia: an update on phenomenology, classification, pathogenesis and treatment". Current Opinion in Neurology. 27 (4): 468–476. doi:10.1097/WCO.0000000000000114. PMID 24978640.