Acquired Neuromyotonia with Minor Central Symptoms and Antibodies against Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels - a Case Report
Abstract
A 52-year-old still healthy man developed, over several weeks, a myalgic syndrome with fatigue and muscle weakness, tingling and fasciculation, predominantly in the lower limbs. Such disorders caused inability to walk independently.
Upon admission, the clinical findings included muscle weakness and muscle stiffness with tenderness, autonomic symptoms with sweating, intermittent tachycardia, constipation, and also personality and behavioral changes with insomnia and late-night confusion. The electromyography showed a persisting activity with discharges, which were provoked by voluntary activity, and in particular by the stimulation of motor fibres.
The patient was treated with carbamazepine and methylprednisolone. Hypertonia, myalgia and central symptoms subsided.
At that stage, the results came back with highly elevated antibodies against voltage-gated potassium channels in serum. However, the patient suddenly died of malignant arrhythmia.