Stiff Person Syndrome, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Stiff Person Syndrome, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

Unlike the Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (Stone Man Syndrome) which I wrote about a few months ago, this stiff man syndrome is more an autoimmune disease of the neurological disorder that affects the brain and spinal cord causing the person to be stiff due to muscle spasms.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (Stone Man Syndrome) in contrast is a genetic disorder in which muscle and connective tissue such as tendons and ligaments are slowly replaced by bone (ossified), producing bone outside the skeleton (extra-skeletal or heterotopic bone) that restricts movement.

They are completely different disorders.

Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare, progressive medical disorder that involves the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord.

Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is called an autoimmune neurological disorder.

Like other types of neurological disorders, SPS affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).

An autoimmune disorder happens when the immune system incorrectly identifies normal body tissues as harmful and attacks them.

SPS is rare.

It can significantly affect the quality of life without proper treatment

Symptoms may involve extreme muscle stiffness, rigidity and painful spasms in the trunk and limbs, seriously impairing mobility.

Spasms can generate enough force to fracture bone.

People with SPS often have increased sensitivity to noise, sudden movements, and emotional distress, which can activate muscle spasms.

Continual symptoms can cause abnormal posturing of the spine, such as being hunched over.

The precise cause of SPS is not known.

It is possibly genetic.

It is thought to have an autoimmune component and is often linked with diabetes, and other autoimmune diseases such as thyroiditis, vitiligo, and pernicious anemia.

The patient may also be at an increased risk for developing the syndrome if the patient or someone in the family has another type of autoimmune disease.

These are:
1. Type 1 and 2 diabetes
2. Pernicious anemia
3. Rheumatoid arthritis
4. Thyroiditis
5. Vitiligo

For unknown causes, autoimmune diseases fight the healthy tissues in the body.

With SPS, the tissues in the brain and spinal cord are involved.

This causes symptoms based on the tissue that is attacked.

SPS produces antibodies that assail proteins in brain neurons that regulate muscle movements.

These are called glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GAD).

It may be diagnosed after having various tests including blood tests (including a test showing elevated glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies), a lumbar puncture, and electromyography.

The treatment focuses on the control of symptoms and improvement of mobility, and may require benzodiazepines, muscle relaxants, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG).

While some people with SPS may sustain reasonable amounts of activity with treatment, the majority of them become disabled over time.

The symptoms of stiff person syndrome may form when the immune system mistakenly attacks the neurons that produce GAD.

When GAD is not working properly, there is not adequate GABA to help control muscle movement.

The precise part that deficiency of GAD plays in the development of stiff person syndrome is not fully known.

Some patient with stiff person syndrome will have antibodies to amphiphysin, a protein involved in the communication of signals from one neuron to another.

Persons with these antibodies have a higher danger for developing breast, lung, or colon cancer

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Stiff Person Syndrome
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Fibrodysplasia

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Dec 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463930755

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

Stiff Person Syndrome,

A

Simple

Guide

To

The Condition,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2019 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Stiff Person Syndrome, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Stiff Person Syndrome)

This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiography account of my journey as a medical student to family doctor on my other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiography account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Stiff person syndrome (SPS)

Unlike the Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (Stone Man Syndrome) which I wrote about a few months ago, this stiff man syndrome is more an autoimmune disease of the neurological disorder that affects the brain and spinal cord causing the person to be stiff due to muscle spasms.

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (Stone Man Syndrome) in contrast is a genetic disorder in which muscle and connective tissue such as tendons and ligaments are slowly replaced by bone (ossified), producing bone outside the skeleton (extra-skeletal or heterotopic bone) that restricts movement.

They are completely different disorders.

What is stiff person syndrome?

Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare, progressive medical disorder that involves the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord.

Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is called an autoimmune neurological disorder.

Like other types of neurological disorders, SPS affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).

An autoimmune disorder happens when the immune system incorrectly identifies normal body tissues as harmful and attacks them.

SPS is rare.

It can significantly affect the quality of life without proper treatment

Symptoms may involve extreme muscle stiffness, rigidity and painful spasms in the trunk and limbs, seriously impairing mobility.

Spasms can generate enough force to fracture bone.

People with SPS often have increased sensitivity to noise, sudden movements, and emotional distress, which can activate muscle spasms.

Continual symptoms can cause abnormal posturing of the spine, such as being hunched over.

The syndrome involves two times as many women as men

What are the causes of stiff person syndrome?

Causes

The precise cause of SPS is not known.

It is possibly genetic.

It is thought to have an autoimmune component and is often linked with diabetes, and other autoimmune diseases such as thyroiditis, vitiligo, and pernicious anemia.

The patient may also be at an increased risk for developing the syndrome if the patient or someone in the family has