Essay On Dystonia

Dystonia is a movement disorder characterized by continual muscle spasms, problems with posture, and recurring twisting motions. These movements occur when contractions of both the antagonistic muscles cause excess activity in other muscles. Dystonia is classified based on age of onset, body region affected, and the underlying cause (Tarsy & Simon, 2006). Childhood dystonia becomes progressively worse, starting in one location and spreading rapidly causing major motor impairments. Dystonia presenting in adulthood is usually localized and does not spread to other areas of the body (Tanabe, Kim, Alagem, & Dauer, 2009). There are many different types of dystonia that affect various regions of the body, but the two basic types are primary and secondary. Primary
This means there is no risk dystonia could cause problems related to smooth muscle, like heart disease. Dystonia itself is not considered fatal because it does not cause death or affect life expectancy in most people. Diagnoses of dystonia are clinical. Since there is no specific diagnostic test, a diagnosis is determined by the abnormal movements associated with dystonia and the specific features associated with each specific type of dystonia. Some forms of dystonia have been linked to genetics, but there is not enough concrete evidence to prove genetics plays a role. Over twenty different gene mutations have been linked to dystonia. Inheritance of dystonia is mostly seen within childhood cases. Dystonias are usually inherited as autosomal dominant, but only some people with the gene are affected. This means that other issues, such as environmental factors, may have an impact on dystonias as well. Not surprisingly, depression and anxiety occur frequently in dystonia patients. According to studies, up to 71% of patients have these symptoms. Research has showed that there is little or no correlation between dystonia and cognitive