Who does it affect? Expand Focal hand dystonia can affect any profession which requires repeated hand movement but is more common among musicians than any other professional group. It is estimated that they affect approximately 1-2% of all professional musicians. Men are more commonly affected by musician’s dystonia than women with estimates of the ratio ranging from 2:1 to 6:1. Research has identified musicians who have intensively practiced their instruments over several years are most affected by this condition. Usually musician’s dystonia is diagnosed when the person is in their 20s-40s. Dystonic writer’s cramp more commonly affects those with whole body dystonia.
Who does it affect? Expand In children and young adults, muscle spasms in the foot or leg can be an early sign of a generalised (whole body) dystonia. In focal foot dystonia (dystonia that only affects the foot) symptoms generally appear between the ages of 30 and 50.
Who does it affect? Expand Hemidystonia usually affects those suffering from a drug reaction or brain injury, or as a symptom of another neurological or metabolic disorder. Most commonly it affects those who have had a stroke, closely followed by those who have gone through trauma at birth and or have a head injury.
Who does it affect? Expand Between 30 – 40% of people who carry the gene will develop the condition. Individuals with DYT5 dopa-responsive dystonia often have a parent who also has the faulty gene with or without symptoms. It usually presents itself in childhood between the ages of 6 and 16. It is 2 – 4 times more likely to affect girls than boys.
What are the symptoms? Expand Symptoms of blepharospasm include: excessive and uncontrollable blinking muscle spasms around the eyes causing them to close inability to re-open the eyes dry eyes eyes sensitive to light tremor Stress and anxiety are known to exacerbate the symptoms.
What are the causes? Expand Dystonia is caused by incorrect signals from the brain to the affected body part.
What are the causes? Expand Acute dystonic reaction and tardive dystonia are most commonly the result of side effects from a type of medication which is prescribed to treat schizophrenia and psychosis called a ‘dopamine receptor blocker’ (DRB). Some DRBs are also used to treat nausea and dizziness. Many other medications have been reported to cause acute dystonic reactions including: anti-depressants of the type that inhibit the reuptake of serotonin calcium antagonists (sometimes used to treat high blood pressure and angina) some anaesthetic agents anticonvulsants such as carbamazepine and phenytoin illicit drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy Acute dystonia is more often associated with butyrophenone antipsychotics (e.g. haloperidol) compared to phenothiazine antipsychotics (e.g. prochlorperazine and chlorpromazine). Acute dystonic reactions can occur within hours or days of exposure the medication or as a result in changes to the dose of medications while tardive dystonia usually occurs in patients who have been taking these medications for longer than 3 months.
What are the causes? Expand Dystonia is caused by incorrect signals from the brain to the affected body part. In most people the condition has no known cause. Sometimes the condition can be caused by damage to the brain, for example following a head injury. The condition can occasionally run in families.
What are the causes? Expand When generalised dystonia is inherited, the condition is caused by mutations in a specific gene. The gene abnormality causes a problem with the brain’s production of the chemical dopamine. Generalised dystonia is sometimes caused by a fault in the DYT1 gene. There are a number of other genes which cause primary early-onset generalised dystonia including the DYT5 gene which causes a rare type of generalised dystonia highly responsive to treatment by dopamine called dopa-responsive dystonia. If no genetic cause can be identified, the physician will explore if the dystonia is ‘acquired’. This may involve a MRI scan of the brain and testing for other rare conditions such as: Wilson’s disease - a treatable genetic condition in which the body does not process copper properly or; Neuronal brain iron accumulation syndrome (NBIA) – a genetic degenerative condition in which iron is deposited in the basal ganglia In idiopathic generalised dystonia there is no detectable abnormality on any brain scans or investigations so it is uncertain why the dystonia has appeared.
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What are the causes? Expand Dystonia is caused by incorrect signals from the brain to the affected body part but the causes for this are not yet fully understood. There is some research into whether laryngeal dystonia is caused by genetic factors. There are also thought to be some cases triggered by trauma such as intubation or neck injuries.
What are the common treatments? Expand Oral medication Botulinum toxin injections Deep brain stimulation Psychological support
What are the causes? Expand Dystonia is caused by incorrect signals from the brain to the affected body part but the causes for this are not yet fully understood. However, in some cases Meige syndrome is caused by medical drugs, notably those used to treat Parkinson’s disease. If this cause of the condition is suspected, a reduced dose may alleviate the problem.
What are the causes? Expand Dystonia is caused by incorrect signals from the brain to the affected body part but the causes for this are not yet fully understood. Simple writer’s cramp is thought to usually be caused by over-use of the hand, poor writing posture or poor pen hold. Dystonic writer’s cramp is thought to be affected by dystonia in other parts of the body. Musician’s dystonia is thought to be caused by the repetitive hand movements, which result in remapping of the receptive fields in the cortex of the brain.
What are the causes? Expand Dystonia is caused by incorrect signals from the brain to the affected body part but the causes for this are not yet fully understood. Oromandibular dystonia, however, is sometimes caused by previous treatment for conditions including nausea, vertigo, anxiety, schizophrenia, and depression with medicines that work by blocking the chemical dopamine in the brain. Typically, this results in being affected in more than one place in the body. Another name for dystonia caused in this way is tardive dystonia.
What are the causes? Expand There are a number of known causes for lower limb dystonia including: brain injury stroke injury to the limb
What are the causes? Expand Most cases are caused by another underlying condition, such as: stroke tumour problems at birth (cerebral palsy) head injuries a problem with blood vessels and even multiple sclerosis (MS). Hemidystonia can occur when one of these conditions causes damage to just one of side of the brain (the side of the brain opposite to the side of the body with hemidystonia). In idiopathic hemidystonia there is no detectable abnormality on any brain scans or investigations so it is uncertain both why the dystonia has appeared and why it is only on one side of the body.
What are the causes? Expand Dystonia is caused by incorrect signals from the brain to the affected body part. Dopa-responsive dystonia is an inherited type of the condition caused by mutations in a specific gene. The gene abnormality causes a problem with the brain’s production of the chemical dopamine.
Who does it affect? Expand Symptoms usually appear between the ages of 50 and 70. It affects around 7,000 adults in the UK.
What are the common treatments? Expand Botulinum toxin injections Oral medication Physiotherapy Deep brain stimulation
What are the common treatments? Expand The first step is usually a controlled withdrawal of the medication causing the problem. It is important this done under the supervision of a clinician. If it is important for the patient to continue taking DRB medication, then the clinician would be expected to look for different types of DRB medication that hopefully will not cause a further reaction. Other treatments that are used include: oral medication botulinum toxin injections deep brain stimulation
What are the common treatments? Expand Botulinum toxin injections Oral medication Deep brain stimulation Physiotherapy
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What are the common treatments? Expand Botulinum toxin injections Oral medication Speech and language therapy Surgical procedures
What are the common treatments? Expand Botulinum toxin injections Oral medication Physiotherapy Deep brain stimulation Occupational therapy