Neurological Side Effects of Antipsychotic Drugs
Acute dystonia - Spasm of muscles of tongue, face, neck, back
• Time: 1-5 days. Young, antipsychotic, naive patients at highest risk
• Tx: Antiparkinsonian agents are diagnostic and curative
Akathisia - Subjective and objective restlessness; not anxiety or "agitation"
• Time: 5-60 days
• Tx: Reduce dose or change drug; clonazepam, propranolol more effective than antiparkinsonian agents
Parkinsonism - Bradykinesia, rigidity, variable tremor, mask facies, shuffling gait
• Time: 5-30 days. Elderly at greatest risk
• Tx: Dose reduction; change medication; antiparkinsonian agent
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome - Extreme rigidity, fever, unstable blood pressure, myoglobinemia; can be fatal
• Time: weeks-months. Can persist for days after stopping antipsychotic
• Tx: Stop antipsychotic immediately; supportive care; dantrolene and bromocriptine
Perioral tremor ("rabbit syndrome") - Perioral tremor (may be a late variant of parkinsonism)
• Time: months or years of treatment
• Tx: Antiparkinsonian agents often help
Tardive dyskinesia - Orofacial dyskinesia; rarely widespread choreoathetosis or dystonia
• Time: months or years of treatment.
• Tx: May be reversible with early recognition and drug discontinuation VMAT2 inhibitors valbenazine and deutetrabenazine are FDA-approved for TD
#Antipsychotic #Drugs #Medications #SideEffects #pharmacology #management
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: Mechanisms and Side Effects
• Serotonin Syndrome:
- Autonomic Hyperactivity: Hypertension, Tachycardia, Dilated pupils
- Neuromuscular Abnormalities: Ocular Clonus, Tremor, Hyperreflexia, Muscle clonus
- Cognitive Changes: Agitation, Akathisia
• SSRI Withdrawal Syndrome
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Tremor
- Diaphoresis
- Nightmares
- "Brain zaps" (Radiating electrical sensations)
#SSRIs #Serotonin #Inhibitors #Pathophysiology #Pharmacology #SideEffects #Psychiatry #Diagnosis #Signs #Symptoms
Causes of Tremors - Movement Disorders - Differential Diagnosis Algorithm
Action Tremor - Occurs During Voluntary Muscle Movement
• Cerebellar Disease (e.g. spinocerebellar ataxia, Vitamin E deficiency, stroke, multiple sclerosis)
Resting Tremor - Occurs at Rest
• Parkinson's Disease
• Midbrain Tremor
• Wilson's Disease
• Progressive supranuclear palsy
• Multiple System Atrophy
• Drug-induced Parkinsonism
Postural Tremor - Occurs While Held Motionless Against Gravity
• Enhanced Physiologic Change
• Essential tremor
• Dystonia
• Metabolic Etiology (Thyroid, Liver, Kidney)
• Drugs (Lithium, Amiodarone, Valproate)
#Tremors #MovementDisorders #Neurology #Differential #Diagnosis #Algorithm #Causes
Pulmonary Renal Syndromes - OnePager Summary
Autoimmune ANCA vasculitis (AAV): GPA (granulomatous with polyangiitis), EGPA (eosinophilic granulomatosis w polyangiitis), MPA (microscopic polyangiitis)
Anti-basement membrane: Goodpasture
Pulmonary Renal Syndromes (PRS) are life-threatening diseases with pulmonary hemorrhage (DAH) & renal failure (glomerulonephritis). Although pulmonary and renal involvement is the defining feature, PRS can affect many organs:
• Pulmonary: pulmonary hemorrhage (DAH), asthma in EGPA, tracheal (subglottic stenosis) in GPA, pulmonary nodules, asthma (EGPA)
• Renal: (AKI, proteinuria, hematuria)
• Inflammatory eye disease: scleritis, uveitis, episcleritis
• ENT: sinus, nasal, hearing loss, saddle nose deformity
• Cardiac (in EGPA)
• Digital ischemia
• Cutaneous: palpable purpura 2/2 vasculitis, ulcers, nodules
• Neuro: neuropathy, mononeuritis multiplex
WORKUP & DIAGNOSIS
Labs:
• BMP (quantify renal injury), Coags (r/o coagulopathy)
• CBC w differential (check eosinophil count for EGPA)
• Auto-antibodies: ANCA antibody, Anti-GBM antibody
• Urine: UA, Urine protein to creatinine (UPC) ratio
• Cardiac: consider BNP, troponin if concern for EGPA
• ESR and CRP (non-specific, ESR usually low in anti-GBM)
Other tests:
• CT chest to evaluate pulmonary involvement
• Bronchoscopy: confirm DAH, r/o infection
• Echocardiogram for EGPA (↓ LVEF, pericardial effusion)
• PFTs (outpatient; increased DLCO after recent DAN)
• EMG/NCS for mononeuritis multiplex/neuropathy
Diagnosis of PRS: Biopsy (gold standard) or serologies + symptoms (not-optimal but may be necessary)
PULMONARY FINDINGS:
• AAV or Goodpasture's cause pulmonary capillaritis leading to diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH)
• Diffuse ground glass or consolidative opacities with sparing of the lung periphery is typically seen on chest CT.
• BAL reveals increasing blood retum in serial lavages and hemosiderin laden macrophages (diagnostic of DAH)
RENAL FINDINGS:
• U/A: microscopic or gross hematuria, RBC casts, low grade proteinuria
• Path: rapidly progressive (crescentic) glomerulonephritis (fibrinoid necrosis, hypercellular glomeruli, & cellular crescents)
• IF staining patterns in crescentic GN
by Nick Mark MD @nickmmark and Mithu Maheswaranathan MD @MithuRheum
#PRS #Pulmonary #Renal #Syndromes #differential #diagnosis #management #treatment
Transverse Myelitis Overview
Focal inflammatory disorder of the spinal cord resulting in rapid onset of weakness, sensory alterations, and bowel or bladder dysfunction
Epidemiology:
• 1400 new cases in the US each year
• Bimodal peaks between the ages of 10 to 19 years and 30 to 39 years
• 10-33% develop MS over a five to ten-year period
• 75-90% of cases TM is monophasic
Pathophysiology of Transverse Myelitis:
• Excessive activation of an immune response against the spinal cord that results in CNS inflammation and tissue damage
Mechanisms:
• Idiopathic: etiology unknown
• Infectious: Direct microbial infection versus molecular mimicry or super-antigen mediated disease
• Immune Mediated
Transverse Myelitis - Clinical Presentation:
Injury to the spinal cord (Myelopathy) without cord compression (MRI) and findings of varying degrees of:
1. Weakness:
- Weakness that preferentially affects the flexors of the legs and the extensors of the arms (pyramidal distribution of weakness)
- Flaccidity -> Spasticity
- Reflexes: decreased or absent initially -> Hyperreflexia develops later
2. Sensory Alterations:
- Sensory features: paresthesias ascending from feet with or without back pain at/near level of myelitis
3. Autonomic Dysfunction:
- Autonomic: Bowel/Bladder dysfunction, temperature dysregulation, bouts of HTN
Diagnostic Criteria:
• Sensory, motor, or autonomic dysfunction located at the spinal cord
• T2 hyperintense signal change on spinal MRI
• No evidence of compressive cord lesion
• Bilateral signs and/or symptoms
• Clearly defined sensory level
• CSF inflammation: CSF pleocytosis, elevated IgG index
• Progression hours to days
Transverse Myelitis Diagnosis:
• Must rule out compressive myelopathies!
• Gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the spinal cord
- Increased T2 signal and expansion of the cord
- No cord compression
- More than 2/3 of the cross-sectional area is involved
- Focal enlargement
- T2WI hyperintensity
- Enhancement
- TM and tumor the cord is swollen, while in MS and ADEM the cord is not swollen or less swollen
- Lesion > 3 levels: Evaluate for NMO, SLE or Sjogren's
• CSF:
- Abnormal in 50% of cases
- Pleocytosis: Mild lymphocytic
- Pleocytosis > 100 cells: consider infectious myelitis
- Elevated IgG index
- Oligoclonal IgG bands (85 to 95% Predictive of MS)
• Check Vitamin B12 and copper levels
• NMO-IgG (anti-AQP4) should be tested and if negative, MOG-IgG test should be ordered
• Infectious causes need to be ruled out
• Brain MRI: Check for brain and/or optic nerve lesions suggestive of multiple sclerosis, NMOSD, MOG antibody disorders, or ADEM
Transverse Myelitis Etiologies:
• Demyelination:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Neuromyelitis optica (NMO)
- Idiopathic transverse myelitis
- ADEM
- Post vaccination
- Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody disorders
• Infections:
- Herpes zoster, West Nile virus
- Herpes simplex virus, HIV, Hep A/B/CMV, TB
- Treponema Pallidum
- Lyme Disease Mycoplasma
- Leptospirosis, Brucellosis
- Dengue, EBV, Influenza, Enteroviruses
• Idiopathic:
- Post Infectious
- Post Vaccine
• Inflammatory Disorders:
- SLE
- Neurosarcoidosis
- MCTD
- Bechet disease
- Sjogren
- Vasculitis- Heroin
• Paraneoplastic:
- AntiGAD65, NMDAR, AntiCRMP IgG, Anti-Hu
- Antiamphiphysin antibodies
• Nutritional Deficiency:
- Vitamin B12, E, D, copper
Transverse Myelitis Treatment:
• Steroids
• Plasma exchange
• Immunomodulatory agents: IVIG
• Cyclophosphamide
#Transverse #Myelitis #diagnosis #management #neurology #differential