Opisthotonus: Causes & Reasons

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Possible Causes for Opisthotonus

Strychnine Poisoning

The clinical features mimic tetanus with sense of suffocation, twitching of muscles, followed by tetanic convulsions and opisthotonus, each lasting half to two minutes. [medchrome.com]

Classic signs include opisthotonus, facial trismus, and risus sardonicus. [umem.org]

This may manifest as painful grimacing (the sardonic smile of risus sardonicus ) or back arching (opisthotonus). [lifeinthefastlane.com]

Kernicterus

[…] and hypotonia followed by hypertonia are some of the earliest symptoms seen in acute disease, whereas abnormal extension of the neck (retrocollis), generalized aching and opisthotonus [symptoma.com]

Babies with bilirubin encephalopathy are lethargic, hypotonic or hypertonic, and have a high pitched cry, opisthotonus, seizures, and may die if bilirubin is not lowered. [neuropathology-web.org]

Tetanus

During hospitalization, the patient's clinical conditions worsened rapidly, and, although in absence of the classic clinical presentation (trisma, nuchal rigidity, and opisthotonus [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

The diagnosis of tetanus was clinically made after the appearance of generalized spastic contractions with opisthotonus. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

The diagnosis of generalized tetanus was made on the basis of generalized contractures with opisthotonus, trismus, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Tetanus Neonatorum

Related Concepts SNOMET-CT Tetanus neonatorum (disorder) Tetanic opisthotonus (disorder) Age at onset of clinical finding (observable entity) < 29.0 days ICD-10-CM Alphabetical [icd.codes]

[…] due to trismus and an inability to swallow, excessive crying caused by hunger, rigidity and generalized muscle spasms induced by touch, including those of the face, and opisthotonus [symptoma.com]

Abdominal muscles become rigid andAbdominal muscles become rigid andspasms of the muscles of the back mayspasms of the muscles of the back mayresult in opisthotonus.result in opisthotonus [slideshare.net]

Gaucher Disease Type 2

A progressively downhill course ensued, characterized by opisthotonus and respiratory difficulties, and the child died at age 7 months. [pediatrics.aappublications.org]

Type 2 is the infantile neuronopathic form, which is characterized by trismus, strabismus, ocular motor apraxia, opisthotonus and death by about two years. [collections.lib.utah.edu]

[…] patients have hepatosplenomegaly similar to type 1, but develop also neurological manifestations (stridor, strabismus and other oculomotor abnormalities, swallowing difficulty, opisthotonus [neuropathology-web.org]

Phenothiazine Poisoning

[…] effects most frequently reported with phenothiazine compounds are extrapyramidal symptoms including pseudo-parkinsonism, dystonia, dyskinesia, akathisia, oculogyric crises, opisthotonus [home.intekom.com]

[…] flushing,diaphoresis diarrhea fever Difficult to distinguish from NMS, MH, cocaine intoxication, thyroid storm Extrapyramidal haloperidol, phenothiazines rigidity, tremor opisthotonus [mcgill.ca]

Extrapyramidal Symptoms: Akathisia, agitation, motor restlessness, dystonic reactions, trismus, torticollis, opisthotonus, oculogyric crises, tremor, muscular rigidity, akinesia [rxlist.com]

Neonatal Meningitis

Signs suggestive of meningeal irritation, including stiff neck, bulging fontanelle, convulsions, and opisthotonus, occur only in a minority of neonates with bacterial meningitis [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

[…] neck (generally not present in children under the age of one year or in patients with altered mental state), back rigidity, bulging fontanelle (in infants), photophobia, opisthotonus [patient.info]

Gaucher Disease

Type 2 GD patients suffer significant progressive neurological impairment, including spasticity, opisthotonus, seizure, and apnea. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

[doi.org] Opisthotonus Type 2 GD patients suffer significant progressive neurological impairment, including spasticity, opisthotonus, seizure, and apnea. [symptoma.com]

[emedicine.medscape.com] Type 2 GD patients suffer significant progressive neurological impairment, including spasticity, opisthotonus, seizure, and apnea. [symptoma.com]

Cerebral Lipidosis

Two days after admission, opisthotonus accompanied with loss of con- sciousness was noted. [docslide.net]

Scorpion Sting

[…] potentiate venom toxicity, and should be avoided; atropine is used to combat parasympathetic effects scorpion sting A toxic systemic response to scorpion venom Clinical SOB, opisthotonus [medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com]

Stiff-Person Syndrome

[…] stiffness 0006921 Depressivity Depression 0000716 Fever 0001945 Frequent falls 0002359 Hyperreflexia Increased reflexes 0001347 Hypertension 0000822 Myoclonic spasms 0003739 Opisthotonus [rarediseases.info.nih.gov]

Meningitis

Epilepsy

PURPOSE: Exogenous estrogens might lead to seizure worsening in women with epilepsy (WWE) by lowering the seizure threshold and inducing glucuronidation in women taking lamotrigine. Assisted reproduction techniques are increasingly used and often require estrogenic and estrogen raising hormone therapy. We aimed at[…] [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Uremia

US Pharm. 2013;38(8):HS11-HS16. ABSTRACT: Uremic syndrome involves the impairment of several biochemical and physiological functions associated with deteriorating renal function. Uremia presents as a broad array of symptoms and is characterized by an accumulation of toxins, which are classified based on size and[…] [uspharmacist.com]

Encephalopathy

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome is an encephalopathy that can be clinically characterized by headache, altered mental status and/or seizures. Neuroimaging demonstrates usually reversible bilateral subcortical vasogenic occipital-parietal edema. Exact pathophysiology remains unclear but is commonly[…] [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Brain Edema

Acute cerebral edema due to lead intoxication is an unusual presentation in an adult. Here we describe an adult with pica presenting with severe encephalopathy due to extremely high lead levels (>200 microg/dl) with marked cerebral edema and mild hyperammonemia. Rapid initiation of chelation therapy led to a[…] [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Drug-Induced Dystonia

On the torso, distortion of the spine, opisthotonus, as well as a tortipelvic crisis, which involves rigidity of the pelvic and abdominal musculature, can occur. [symptoma.com]

Back muscles can also be involved giving rise to opisthotonus, axial rotation and gait disturbance. [neurologyindia.com]

[…] acute dystonia Oculogyric crisis Spasm of the extraorbital muscles, causing upwards and outwards deviation of the eyes Blephorospasm Torticollis Head held turned to one side Opisthotonus [nps.org.au]

Syringomyelia - Syringobulbia

Clinical manifestations of types I-III include TORTICOLLIS ; opisthotonus; HEADACHE ; VERTIGO ; VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS ; APNEA ; NYSTAGMUS, CONGENITAL ; swallowing difficulties [hon.ch]

Clinical manifestations of types I-III include TORTICOLLIS; opisthotonus; HEADACHE; VERTIGO; VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS; APNEA; NYSTAGMUS, CONGENITAL; swallowing difficulties; and [hon.ch]

Brain Stem Herniation

Paul M. Parizel Smitha Makkat Philippe G. Jorens Özkan Özsarlak Patrick Cras Johan W. Van Goethem Luc van den Hauwe Jan Verlooy Arthur M. De Schepper Brief Report First Online: 29 November 2001 Abstract Objectives: To review clinical and radiological findings in patients with Duret hemorrhages and to discuss the[…] [link.springer.com]

Tay-Sachs Disease

Genetic disease tend to be higher in certain communities, many because they tend to procreate among themselves. This leads to persistence of the genetic aberration and increase in frequency. Tay-Sachs disease was described by Warren Tay and Bernard Sachs in the late 1800s. The disease has many variants: Type[…] [symptoma.com]

Cold-Induced Sweating Syndrome Type 1

Affected infants show a tendency to startle, with contractions of the facial muscles in response to tactile stimuli or during crying, trismus, abundant salivation, and opisthotonus [uniprot.org]

Adult Krabbe Disease

R184C ( c.550C>T ) 13 F 4 months 11 months Regression, mild axial hypotonia, hypertonia of the extremities, opisthotonus, ↑ CSF protein, abnormal MRI – 0.0 380 p.I250T (c.749T [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

[…] megalencephaly, psychomotor retardation, loss of vision, abnormal MRI – 0.03 75 p.I250T (c.749T>C)/p.I250T (c.749T>C) 9 F 4.5 months 6.5 months Irritability, hypertonia, opisthotonus [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Classic Maple Syrup Urine Disease

[…] life with poor feeding and drowsiness followed by a worsening encephalopathy with lethargy, intermittent apnea, stereotypic movements (“”fencing”” and ”bicycling””) and opisthotonus [tellmegen.com]

Progressive encephalopathy with lethargy, intermittent apnea, stereotyped movements (described as "fencing" and bicycling") and opisthotonus occur in the first few days of [orpha.net]

Arnold-Chiari Malformation Type 2

Clinical manifestations of types I-III include TORTICOLLIS; opisthotonus; HEADACHE; VERTIGO; VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS; APNEA; NYSTAGMUS, CONGENITAL; swallowing difficulties; and [hon.ch]

Clinical manifestations of types I-III include TORTICOLLIS ; opisthotonus; HEADACHE ; VERTIGO ; VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS ; APNEA ; NYSTAGMUS, CONGENITAL ; swallowing difficulties [hon.ch]

Philodendron Poisoning

Gastrointestinal signs were succeeded by debilitation, twitching and trembling, and rarely opisthotonus was reported in animals after ingestion of Philodendron, and there [mybroadband.co.za]

With severe poisoning, coma and epileptiform seizure activity, or spastic and tonic movements, including opisthotonus without electroencephalographic seizure activity, may [clinicalgate.com]

Intermittent Maple Syrup Urine Disease

Progressive encephalopathy with lethargy, intermittent apnea, stereotyped movements (described as "fencing" and bicycling") and opisthotonus occur in the first few days of [orpha.net]

The symptomes of MSUD are mental and physical retardation, feeding problems, vomiting, dehydration, lethargy, hypotonia, seizures, hypoglycaemia, ketoacidosis, opisthotonus [i12r-studfilesrv.informatik.tu-muenchen.de]

[…] weight loss, [4] anemia, diarrhea, vomiting, [5] dehydration, lethargy, [4] oscillating hypertonia and hypotonia, [4] ataxia, [4] seizures, [4] hypoglycaemia, ketoacidosis, opisthotonus [en.wikipedia.org]

Meningism

[…] degree angles, and subsequent extension in the knee is painful (leading to resistance).[6] This may indicate subarachnoid hemorrhage or meningitis.[7] Patients may also show opisthotonus—spasm [en.wikipedia.org]

Patients may also show opisthotonus—spasm of the whole body that leads to legs and head being bent back and body bowed forward. [wikidoc.org]

Arnold-Chiari Malformation

Clinical manifestations of types I-III include TORTICOLLIS ; opisthotonus; HEADACHE ; VERTIGO ; VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS ; APNEA ; NYSTAGMUS, CONGENITAL ; swallowing difficulties [hon.ch]

Clinical manifestations of types I-III include TORTICOLLIS; opisthotonus; HEADACHE; VERTIGO; VOCAL CORD PARALYSIS; APNEA; NYSTAGMUS, CONGENITAL; swallowing difficulties; and [hon.ch]

Symptoms include hypotonia, apnea with cyanosis, dysphagia, opisthotonus, nystagmus, spasticity, ataxia, and occipital headache. [orpha.net]

Aldrin Poisoning

[…] reactions, anaphylaxis, dermatitis, paresthesias, wheezing, seizures, coma, pulmonary oedema, diarrhoea, abdominal pain R, D Strychnine (rodenticide) Strychnine Muscle rigidity, opisthotonus [who.int]

Perinatal Lethal Gaucher Disease

Hypertelorism ; Hypokinesia ; Intrauterine growth retardation ; Low-set ears ; Microcephaly ; Micrognathia ; Microtia ; Narrow mouth ; Nonimmune hydrops fetalis ; Open mouth ; Opisthotonus [mousephenotype.org]

0008551 Narrow mouth Small mouth 0000160 Nonimmune hydrops fetalis 0001790 Open mouth Gaped jawed appearance Gaped mouthed appearance Slack jawed appearance [ more ] 0000194 Opisthotonus [rarediseases.info.nih.gov]

Gaucher disease type II is characterized by severe developmental delay, cachexia, seizures, horizontal gaze palsy, spasticity, neck retroflexion, opisthotonus, cortical thumbs [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]