Definition
Atetosis is a neurological disorder associated with the presence of brain lesions. This symptom appears, in particular, following congenital or acquired damage to the central gray nuclei (masses of gray matter located in the hemispheres of the brain, which intervene in the control of movements).
The athetosis is characterized by involuntary arrhythmic movements, extremely slow and irregular, but continuous and of modest entity, which occur above all in the head, neck and upper limbs. The disorder can involve axial torsions, inclinations and flexion of the neck and trunk, which can alternate with postural abnormalities of the proximal portion of the limbs and produce a continuous and incessant flow of movements. Often, the patient struggles to maintain balance and to walk.
If the muscles of the face are affected, however, the subject may take unusual and grotesque expressions; these can make word articulation and swallowing difficult. Atetosis is attenuated typically during sleep, while it is accentuated by physical and mental fatigue.
The causes of this manifestation include encephalitis (brain infection), brain tumors, metabolic disorders and degenerative diseases, such as Huntington's chorea. Atetosis can also result from brain injuries that occur in the child over the time period immediately before or after birth. Possible causal factors also include asphyxia and hypoxic-ischemic phenomena that lead to an interruption of oxygen supply to the tissues in the perinatal period.
Sometimes, atetosis can represent an undesirable effect of some drugs (eg phenothiazines or levodopa derivatives). In the latter case, the event may disappear by interrupting the use of these medicines.
Atetosis can occur simultaneously with chorea, which consists of very rapid, poorly coordinated and non-suppressive arrhythmic movements, due to involuntary muscle contractions involving above all the distal musculature or the face; this association is known as choreoathetosis .
On the other hand, hemiatetosis affects half of the body and generally has a vascular origin (hemorrhagic or ischemic).
Possible Causes * of Atetosis
- Cerebral hemorrhage
- Encephalitis
- Stroke
- Carbon monoxide intoxication
- Hyperthyroidism
- Cerebral ischemia
- Huntington's disease
- Parkinson's disease
- Infant Cerebral Palsy
- Spastic paraparesis
