What is athetosis?

Athetosis is a term that describes a special kind of movement common to people with conditions such as Huntington's disease, and others that affect the central nervous system. Athetotic movement is slow and banged and affects mainly arms, legs, hands and legs. People with this condition can also experience other types of atypical movement, such as chorea , which causes involuntary jerky movements of hands and feet.

Athetosis is a completely involuntary type of movement. People with this movement disorder cannot keep their arms, legs, hands and legs in stable, still position. Instead, they involuntarily move their limbs, often continuously, in a number of slow and gripping movements.

Athetotic movement can be caused by several ways. The most common causes are brain palsy, encephalitis, brain tumors, stroke, rheumatic fever, systemic lupus erythematosus and traumatic brain damage. Kernicterus, a heavy type of jaundice is rarely applied in newborn children, can lead to typebrain damage that can cause atetotic movements. In addition, atetosis may develop as a side effect of antipsychotic drugs or due to poisoning by amphetamine overdose or carbon monoxide poisoning.

People with this type of movement disorder often experience chorea. This type of movement is fast and jerky and most often includes face muscles. Limbs can also be connected to a lesser extent. When both types of movement appear in the same person, the movement formula is referred to as choreoathetosis.

It is common that both types of movement are manifested as symptoms of progressive neurological disorders such as Huntington's disease. This genetically inherited state causes progressive cognitive deterioration in addition to movement disorders. Athetotic movement may also occur in Parkinson's disease.

Athetosis and chorea are the result of excessive basal ganglia. Basal ganglias are small compact groups noUrons that are located at the brain base in the brain. Basal ganglias are very strongly associated with motor function and control, and when these structures are too active, the most common consequence is one or more types of involuntary muscle movement.

Athetosis is generally treated according to a specific disorder that causes atypical movement. In general, drugs are used to suppress atetotic movement that reduce the activity of dopamine in the brain, such as an antipsychotic. This makes it difficult to treat atetotic movement because antipsychotic drugs can actually cause this type of movement. A patient who is treated with antipsychotics can sometimes try two or more different drugs than his doctor settles on the patient, providing the greatest advantage with the smallest side effects.