Carbamazepine
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Reactions 1033 - 8 Jan 2005 Carbamazepine Myasthenia Gravis in a child: case report A 10-year-old girl developed myasthenia gravis during treatment with carbamazepine for epilepsy. Carbamazepine [dosage not stated] was initiated when the girl was 7 years old. Seizure control was moderately successful but symptoms of myasthenia gravis began to appear when she was 10-years-old: she had dysarthria with nasal pronunciation, dysphagia, variable ptosis and reduced endurance with symptoms most marked in the afternoon and evening. Examination returned a positive edrophonium test confirmed by an electromyogram and acetylcholine receptor antibodies were 90 nmol/L. An MRI revealed a small lacuna in the lower thoracic medulla. Treatment with pyridostigmine produced some improvement although greater improvement was achieved following a thymectomy at the age of 11 years. At the age of 16 years, the girl’s condition was stable. Author comment: "It is reasonable to suspect that even in this girl myasthenia gravis may have been induced by carbamazepine." Rasmussen M. Carbamazepine and myasthenia gravis. Neuropediatrics 35: 259, No. 4, Aug 2004 - Norway 807218204 1 Reactions 8 Jan 2005 No. 1033 0114-9954/10/1033-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved
Transcript of Carbamazepine
Reactions 1033 - 8 Jan 2005
Carbamazepine
Myasthenia Gravis in a child: case reportA 10-year-old girl developed myasthenia gravis during
treatment with carbamazepine for epilepsy.Carbamazepine [dosage not stated] was initiated when the
girl was 7 years old. Seizure control was moderately successfulbut symptoms of myasthenia gravis began to appear when shewas 10-years-old: she had dysarthria with nasal pronunciation,dysphagia, variable ptosis and reduced endurance withsymptoms most marked in the afternoon and evening.Examination returned a positive edrophonium test confirmedby an electromyogram and acetylcholine receptor antibodieswere 90 nmol/L. An MRI revealed a small lacuna in the lowerthoracic medulla.
Treatment with pyridostigmine produced someimprovement although greater improvement was achievedfollowing a thymectomy at the age of 11 years. At the age of 16years, the girl’s condition was stable.
Author comment: "It is reasonable to suspect that even inthis girl myasthenia gravis may have been induced bycarbamazepine."Rasmussen M. Carbamazepine and myasthenia gravis. Neuropediatrics 35: 259,No. 4, Aug 2004 - Norway 807218204
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Reactions 8 Jan 2005 No. 10330114-9954/10/1033-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved
