Tardive Dystonia & Tardive Dyskinesia

Dystonia is a type of movement disorder that may be a symptom of tardive dyskinesia or indicative of some other condition. It manifestations consist of sustained muscular contractions that result in bodily twisting, uncontrollable repetitive motions and/or unnatural and even painful postures.

Causes

Although it is known that dystonia is a disorder of the central nervous system, medical science has not yet fully determined its cause. However, it can be classified as either primary or secondary.

Primary dystonia is thought to be caused by a pathogen, such as a bacterium or a virus, or a congenital defect. Secondary dystonia is usually due to an obvious factor such as a brain injury or the side effects of certain medications.

Varieties

Dystonias fall into one of five broad categories:

General (primarily congenital)
Focal (involving one or more particular muscle group)
Segmental (affecting two adjoining muscle groups)
Intermediate (caused or brought on by specific activities)
Acute Reaction (a sudden seizure or uncontrolled muscular contraction)

Of these, focal dystonias are the most common. They include:

spasmodic dysphonia: also known as "laryngeal dystonia," this effects the larynx (vocal chords), causing the patient's voice to sound weak and broken (Note: this is distinct from general dysphonia, which can be caused by laryngitis, cysts on the vocal folds, cancer or any number of factors.)
blepharospasm: rapid, uncontrollable eye blinking that can render a patient legally blind
torticollis: an abnormal twisting of the neck and spine
spasmodic torticollis: also called "cervical dystonia, this is a specific form of the previous disorder that causes the neck muscles to pull the head into extreme positions

Treatment

Treatment for dystonia depends on the cause; in most cases, there is no effective treatment other than stress management or (in the case of the side-effects of neuroleptics such as metoclopramide, or Reglan) withdrawing the medication thought to be responsible.

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