Multiple Sclerosis (MS) manifestation in juvenile parkinsonism after stress attack

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) manifestation in juvenile parkinsonism after stress attack

Kountouris Dimintrios, Center for Neurological Diagnosis, Athens, Greece

Background: The coexistence of parkinsonism disorders and Multiple sclerosis is an exceptional case. Both of the two diagnosis concern diseases of the Central Nervous System. Their appearance in a patient especially after a stress comprise a newsworthy case.

Case report: We present here a 47 year-old patient who showed parkinson syndrome after the death of a person of his family 3 years ago. He received L Dopa and antiholinergic drugs. Besides, he exhibited typical symptoms of parkinsonian gait, hypomimia and hyporsalivation. At the end of a very stressful week, due to a car accident without injuries, he manifested further symptoms of nystagmous, dopple vision, ataxia and spastic paraparesis. The neurological CSF and MRI examinations corroborated the MS diagnosis. After an immunosuppressive and immunomudulatory therapy the new symptoms and partly the parkinsionism have receded. Additional improvement were realized after the administration of antidepressant drugs.

Conclusion: Many times conditions of stress may be considered responsible for the first manifestation of degenerative and autoimmune diseases of the CNS. It also may be the stress that causes their appearance in the same person. Probably that happens due to a genetic disorders.

Abstract published in abstract book of the International Symposium on Gait Disorders Paper presented at the International Symposium on Gait Disorders, Prague, Czech Republic, September 4-6, 1999