Dystonia

Blepharospasm Blepharospasm Blepharospasm is a spasm of the muscles around the eye. The cause of blepharospasm is often unknown. It affects women more than men and tends to occur in families. It can sometimes be caused... read more : This dystonia affects mainly the eyelids. The eyelids are repeatedly and involuntarily forced shut. Occasionally, only one eye is affected at first, but ultimately, the other eye is also affected. It usually begins as excessive blinking, eye irritation, or extreme sensitivity to bright light. Many people with blepharospasm find ways to keep their eyes open, such as yawning, singing, or opening the mouth wide. These techniques become less effective as the disorder progresses. Blepharospasm can severely impair vision if the eyes cannot be kept open as needed.

Spasmodic torticollis Cervical Dystonia Cervical dystonia is characterized by long-lasting (chronic sustained) involuntary contractions or periodic, intermittent spasms of the neck muscles, causing the neck to turn in different ways... read more : Torticollis specifically affects the muscles of the neck. Spasmodic torticollis, also called adult-onset cervical dystonia, is the most common form of dystonia of the neck (cervical dystonia).

Spasmodic dysphonia: The muscles of the vocal cords, which control speech, contract involuntarily. Speech may be impossible or may sound strained, quavery, hoarse, whispery, jerky, creaky, staccato, or garbled and be difficult to understand.

Occupational dystonias: These dystonias, also called task-specific dystonias, affect one part of the body and often result from overuse. For example, golfers may have involuntary muscle spasms in the hands and wrists (called the yips). The yips may make putting nearly impossible. What is supposed to be a 3-foot putt can become a 15-foot putt when a golfer loses control because of the yips. Similarly, musicians, especially concert pianists, may have bizarre spasms of the fingers, hands, or arms that prevent them from performing. Musicians who play wind instruments may have spasms of the mouth. Persistent writer’s cramp may be dystonia.

Meige disease: This dystonia combines involuntary blinking with jaw grinding and grimacing. Thus, it is also called blepharospasm-oromandibular dystonia. (“Blepharo” refers to the eyelids, “oro” refers to the mouth, and “mandibular” refers to the jaw.) It usually begins in late middle age.

Primary generalized dystonia: This rare dystonia, also called idiopathic torsion dystonia, is progressive and often hereditary. In many cases, specific genetic mutations have been identified. The gene most commonly affected is the DYT1 gene. The resulting dystonia is called DYT1 dystonia. Involuntary movements result in sustained, often bizarre postures. Typically, symptoms begin during childhood, often with turning the foot in during walking. The dystonia may affect only the trunk or a leg but often affects the whole body, ultimately confining children to a wheelchair. When this dystonia develops in adults, it usually begins in the face or arms and usually does not affect other parts of the body. Mental function is not affected.

Dopa-responsive dystonia: This rare form of dystonia is hereditary. Symptoms of dopa-responsive dystonia usually begin during childhood. Typically, one leg is affected first. As a result, children tend to walk on tiptoes. Symptoms worsen at night. Walking becomes progressively more difficult, and both arms and legs are affected. However, some children have only mild symptoms, such as muscle cramps after exercise. Sometimes symptoms appear later in life and resemble those of Parkinson disease Symptoms Parkinson disease is a slowly progressive degenerative disorder of specific areas of the brain. It is characterized by tremor when muscles are at rest (resting tremor), increased muscle tone... read more . Movements may be slow, balance may be difficult to maintain, and a tremor may occur in the hands during rest. Symptoms lessen dramatically when people are given low doses of levodopa. If levodopa relieves the symptoms, the diagnosis is confirmed.