1/65. tetany, tetanus or drug reaction? A case report. An 8-year-old child was given perphenazine to prevent vomiting after surgery and developed an acute dystonic reaction; There were features of both tetany and tetanus without any of the classical features of extrapyramidal disturbance. The diagnostic difficulties are discussed. The reaction was treated successfully with i.v. diazepam. The prescribing of anti-emetics after surgery is examined critically with special reference to children. ( info) |
2/65. Hypocalcemic tetany in a toddler with undiagnosed rickets. A 17-month-old black girl presented to the pediatric emergency department with sudden onset of her hands and feet "drawing up." A diagnosis of vitamin d deficiency rickets with tetany was made on a history of exclusive breast-feeding, low serum calcium, phosphorus, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, and bone radiographs. Nutritional rickets should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute hypocalcemia. ( info) |
| Normotensive primary hyperaldosteronism is exceedingly rare. We report two new cases of this syndrome in two middle-aged women, one of Asian origin. The presenting signs were tetany in one case and an adrenal mass in the other. Neither patient had hypertension, despite repeated measurements with a manual armlet. A typical biological profile of primary hyperaldosteronism was demonstrated in both patients, including hypokalemia with inappropriate kaliuresis, elevated resting plasma aldosterone, and undetectable plasma renin activity. The circadian rhythm of blood pressure was studied by ambulatory monitoring pre- and post-operatively. It confirmed the lack of hypertension, but the circadian rhythm of blood pressure was lost before surgery in one patient. Surgical removal of the histologically typical aldosterone-producing adenomas normalized the kalemia. The main finding in these two patients was spontaneously low blood pressure in the post-operative period. This suggests that excess aldosterone induced relative hypertension in these patients whose blood pressure was spontaneously very low. Genetic screening for dexamethasone-sensitive hyperaldosteronism was negative in both patients. ( info) |
| We describe a patient who developed tetany with sudden respiratory arrest after the infusion of intravenous diltiazem. The administration of calcium chloride rapidly resolved the patient's tetany with prompt recovery of respiratory function, averting the need for more aggressive airway management and ventilatory support. The emergency physician should be aware that life-threatening tetany may accompany the administration of intravenous diltiazem and that calcium chloride may be a rapid and effective remedy. ( info) |
5/65. Postoperative hypocalcemic tetany caused by fleet phospho-soda preparation in a patient taking alendronate sodium: report of a case. This case report describes a patient who was previously prescribed alendronate (Fosamax) and presented with postoperative hypophosphatemia and hypocalcemic tetany after bowel preparation with Fleet Phospho-Soda. This report suggests that patients taking bone metabolism regulators may not be able to respond appropriately to hypocalcemic stressors. ( info) |
| We report two patients with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism and celiac disease. Both had undergone surgery for cataract previously. The patients presented with tetany in the absence of gastrointestinal complaints. Investigations showed severe hypocalcemia, hypoparathyroidism, flattening of duodenal villi histologically, and diffuse cerebral and basal ganglia calcifications on CT scan. After a gluten-free diet with calcium supplementation, the clinical situation and biochemical values improved. ( info) |
7/65. Galeazzi fracture resulting from electrical shock. Electrical injuries may cause tetanic contractions capable of producing fractures, even at very low voltages. patients with localized pain and swelling require radiographs to assess for fracture, even in the absence of other associated trauma. ( info) |
| ciguatera poisoning causes mainly gastrointestinal and neurological effects of variable severity. However, symptoms of peripheral neuropathy with paresthesias and paradoxical disturbance of thermal sensation are the hallmark. Electrophysiological studies are often normal, except in severe cases. We report four people who developed mild ciguatera poisoning after barracuda ingestion. Electrophysiological studies documented normocalcemic latent tetany. These findings are consistent with ciguatoxin's mechanism of toxicity, which involves inactivation of voltage-gated Na( ) channels and eventually increases nerve membrane excitability. ( info) |
9/65. pseudohypoparathyroidism type IA and II with severe neuropsychic manifestations. pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is characterized by unresponsiveness of target tissues to the biological actions of the parathyroid hormone (PTH), with resulting hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia, despite the elevated serum levels of PTH. PHP is divided into types Ia, b, c and II, depending on the presence of Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO), defective urinary excretion of phosphate (U-P) and response in urinary excretion of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (U-cAMP) after the administration of exogenous PTH. patients with PHP might exhibit various manifestations of neuropsychic disturbances. We present two boys, aged 14 and 16 years, both with paresthesia, anxiety and epilepsy; the former patient also suffered from mild mental retardation. In both patients, hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia together with increased serum levels of PTH suggested the diagnosis of PHP. After administration of exogenous PTH (Ellsworth-Howard test), there was a drop in U-P in both patients, while U-cAMP was decreased in the first patient and increased in the second one, thus confirming the diagnoses of PHP Ia and II, respectively. Neuropsychic disturbances and epilepsy resolved completely in both patients after treatment with calcium and dihydrotachysterol. Evaluation of calcemia and phosphatemia should be mandatory in all patients with neuropsychic disorders. Ellsworth-Howard test remains a useful tool in the differential diagnosis of PHP. ( info) |
10/65. Latent tetany and anxiety, marginal magnesium deficit, and normocalcemia. The identification of marginal magnesium deficit, such as we have detected in a patient with anxiety, depression, and psychomatic complaints, is a difficult diagnostic problem. electromyography of a limb, rendered acutely ischemic either just before or after hyperventilation, can elicit latent tetany in this condition, as well as in calcium deficiency. We have demonstrated iterative electrical activity in our patient, whose magnesium deficit is attributable to renal wasting of magnesium. We have elicited similar patterns in several other patients, who had marginally low serum magnesium and who also exhibited weakness, anxiety, and psychosomatic disorders. This preliminary report suggests the need for further consideration of the possibility that chronic magnesium-deficit may contribute to the syndrome of latent tetany, psychosomatic complaints, and weakness. ( info) |