Moersch-Woltman syndrome, commonly referred to as stiff person syndrome, is an auto-immune illness that sees the patient's immune system cause a dysfunction of the interneurons found in the spinal cord.
It is possible to manage the symptoms of the rare syndrome that has afflicted Céline Dion, a medical specialist interviewed by the Presse Canadienne said on Thursday.
Moersch-Woltman syndrome, commonly referred to as “stiff person syndrome,” is an auto-immune illness that sees the patient’s immune system cause a dysfunction of the interneurons found in the spinal cord, said Dr. Stéphan Botez, a neurologist at the CHUM.
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Botez said that interneurons allow muscle activity to be co-ordinated, for example by preventing the tricep muscles from contracting while the bicep muscle flexes when a forearm is bent.
“If the interneurons are not functioning well, both those muscles will contract at the same time, which leads to pain, stiffness and a loss of function,” he said.
The issue of muscle spasms has in the past forced Dion to cancel her professional activities.
Botez said it can take a long time to diagnose the syndrome and described the disease as “sneaky.”
Usually, the first muscles affected are those of the abdomen, said Botez, followed by the paravertebral muscles. The problem can then spread, no one really knows why, to the lower muscles and result in falls.
Initial treatment for the disease consists of administering drugs to help the interneurons work more efficiently. If that fails, attempts can be made to neutralize the antibodies that are interfering with the interneurons.
“There isn’t really a cure for the illness, but usually we succeed in treating the symptoms — making them tolerable and keeping them under control,” said Botez, who has only encountered the syndrome a single time in 12 years of practice at the CHUM .
Auto-immune illnesses are three times more likely to be diagnosed in women than in men.
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