MOERSCH-WOLTMANN SYNDROME

WHAT IS IT?

• This condition, also known as SPS, is characterized by stiffness and rigidity.
• It also has involuntary and violent spasms that can break bones.
• It has been established that many patients haveGlutamic acid decarboxylase

WHAT CAUSES IT?

• The Glutamic acid decarboxylase thought to block nerve receptors.
• This prevents signals from being sent by the brain to the body.
• It is not known what causes the antibody excess at this time.

SYMPTOMS

• It begins as a certain stiffness in one limb
• From there, it progresses into other limbs causing involuntary movement
• This movement leads to spasms that have contractions from both agonist
• and antagonist muscles.
• With the stiffness comes chronic pain throughout the body.

WHEN ARE YOU AT RISK?

• Most cases of this disease are recorded to be in males
• ages 30 to 60.
• Many of these patients experienced slight pains that followed stiff and
• aching muscles. Although this disease is predominant in males, females
• and children have also been found to have the disease.

TREATMENT

• As of now, there are no known treatments for SPS
• There are drugs that can treat the symptoms, but no
• cure for the disease is available.
• In many cases, the disease can be fatal by causing imbalances
• and failures in the body.

THE HISTORY

• This disease was first discovered by scientists Moersch and Woltmann
• They discovered it by researching 17 cases over a 30 year period.
• At first it was called stiff man syndrome because only men had been
• diagnosed with it. This disease was never fully explained and is still a
• controversial disease.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

• This disease is very rare.
• Only one in 1 million people have this disease
• It does not occur predominately in any ethnic or racial group
• It mostly occurs in 30-60 year olds with 40 being the major age.
• Sometimes, in rare occasions, the result is death.

INHERITANCE

• Scientist really have no idea what causes this disease.
• Even though it has been researched for 70 years, no one
• knows what causes it or how it is spread.
• You can really only hope and pray that you don't have this disease.