Storms and silence: a case report of catatonia and paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity following cerebral hypoxia.


Journal

BMC psychiatry
ISSN: 1471-244X
Titre abrégé: BMC Psychiatry
Pays: England
ID NLM: 100968559

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
29 09 2020
Historique:
received: 26 07 2020
accepted: 17 09 2020
entrez: 30 9 2020
pubmed: 1 10 2020
medline: 30 12 2020
Statut: epublish

Résumé

Delayed Post Hypoxic Leukoencephalopathy (DPHL) is a syndrome that occurs after hypoxia, and can present with a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including catatonia and paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH). The gold standard for the treatment of catatonia is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, ECT can exacerbate the paroxysms of sympathetic hyperactivity and complicate recovery from DPHL. The treatment of PSH is not well established. We present a case of a patient with multiple opiate overdoses who presented with altered mental status. He was diagnosed with catatonia and subsequently treated with ECT. His clinical condition worsened, and a revised diagnosis of PSH was established. The patient's condition improved with medical management. This case highlights the need to distinguish between these two related symptom clusters, as the incidence of DPHL and opioid overdose related neuropsychiatric problems increase. This distinction can greatly influence the course of treatment, and the need to consider alternative treatments.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND
Delayed Post Hypoxic Leukoencephalopathy (DPHL) is a syndrome that occurs after hypoxia, and can present with a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including catatonia and paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH). The gold standard for the treatment of catatonia is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, ECT can exacerbate the paroxysms of sympathetic hyperactivity and complicate recovery from DPHL. The treatment of PSH is not well established.
CASE PRESENTATION
We present a case of a patient with multiple opiate overdoses who presented with altered mental status. He was diagnosed with catatonia and subsequently treated with ECT. His clinical condition worsened, and a revised diagnosis of PSH was established. The patient's condition improved with medical management.
CONCLUSION
This case highlights the need to distinguish between these two related symptom clusters, as the incidence of DPHL and opioid overdose related neuropsychiatric problems increase. This distinction can greatly influence the course of treatment, and the need to consider alternative treatments.

Identifiants

pubmed: 32993556
doi: 10.1186/s12888-020-02878-5
pii: 10.1186/s12888-020-02878-5
pmc: PMC7523250
doi:

Types de publication

Case Reports Journal Article

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

473

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Auteurs

Dallas Wolfgang Hamlin (DW)

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA. dhamlin@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.

Nuzhat Hussain (N)

Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

Aum Pathare (A)

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.

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