What is dx-myoclonus???!
Question: My sister was diagnosed as having it and I'm clueless. Help!
Answers: My sister was diagnosed as having it and I'm clueless. Help!
brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or a group of muscles. It describes a symptom (as opposed to medical sign) and, generally, is not a diagnosis of a disease. The myoclonic twitches or jerks are usually caused by sudden muscle contractions; they also can result from brief lapses of concentration. Contractions are called positive myoclonus; relaxations are called negative myoclonus. The most common time for people to encounter them is while falling asleep (hypnic jerk), but myoclonic jerks are also a sign of a number of neurological disorders. Hiccups are also a kind of myoclonic jerk specifically affecting the diaphragm.
Myoclonic jerks may occur alone or in sequence, in a pattern or without pattern. They may occur infrequently or many times each minute. Most often, myoclonus is one of several signs in a wide variety of nervous system disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and some forms of epilepsy.
In almost all instances in which myoclonus is caused by CNS disease it is preceded by other symptoms; for instance, in CJD it is generally a late-stage clinical feature that appears after the patient has already started to exhibit gross neurological deficits
Myoclonus may develop in response to infection, head or spinal cord injury, stroke, brain tumors, kidney or liver failure, lipid storage disease, chemical or drug poisoning, or other disorders
Myoclonus can occur by itself, but most often it is one of several symptoms associated with a wide variety of nervous system disorders
Treatment of myoclonus focuses on medications that may help reduce symptoms. The drug of first choice to treat myoclonus, especially certain types of action myoclonus, is clonazepam, a benzodiazepine
Dosages of clonazepam usually are increased gradually until the patient improves or side effects become harmful. Drowsiness and loss of coordination are common side effects. The beneficial effects of clonazepam may diminish over time if the patient develops a tolerance for the drug.
I can't find specifically dx-myoclonus. I did find myoclonus on Web MD. Here's what it said:
Myoclonus is the term used to describe the sudden, involuntary jerking of a muscle or group of muscles caused by muscle contractions (positive myoclonus) or muscle relaxation (negative myoclonus). The twitching or jerking of muscles cannot be controlled by the person experiencing it. Myoclonic jerks may occur infrequently or many times a minute. They sometimes occur in response to an external event or when a person attempts to make a movement. By itself, myoclonus may be seen as a symptom rather than a disease. To some degree, it may occur occasionally to otherwise healthy people. (For instance, hiccups may be considered a type of myoclonus.) In severe cases, it can interfere with movement control and balance, and limit various everyday activities such as eating or talking.
It seems, from the other things it said that it could be linked to epilepsy or Parkinson's disease. I wish I could help you out a little more. Best wishes.