Contents [hide]
1 Mechanism
2 Causes
3 Diagnosis
4 References
5 External links
[edit]Mechanism
Low plasma calcium increases the permeability of neuronal membranes to sodium ions, causing a progressive depolarization. This increases the ease with which action potentials can be initiated. If the plasma Ca2+ decreases to less than 50% of the normal value of 9.4mg/dl; action potentials may be spontaneously generated, causing …show more content…
Milk-and-alkali tetany is an example of this imbalance.
Underfunction of the parathyroid gland can lead to tetany.
Low levels of carbon dioxide cause tetany by altering the albumin binding of calcium such that the ionised (physiologically influencing) fraction of calcium is reduced; the most common reason for low carbon dioxide levels is hyperventilation.
Low levels of magnesium can also lead to tetany symptoms.
Clostridium tetani toxin, via inhibition of glycine-mediated and GABA-ergic neurotransmission.
Rebirthing-Breathwork, purposeful rapid breathing for one - two hours at a time; first causing hyperventilation, can sometimes lead to tetany.
Cow grazing on rapidly grown pasture with tetany of the neck suggesting Grass Tetany
An excess of potassium in grass hay or pasture can trigger winter tetany or grass tetany, respectively, in ruminants.
[edit]Diagnosis
The nineteenth-century clinician Professor Armand Trousseau devised the trick of occluding the brachial artery by squeezing to trigger the cramps in the fingers (Trousseau sign). Also, tetany can be demonstrated by tapping anterior to the ear, at the emergence of the facial nerve, also known as Chvostek