Myokymiais an involuntary, spontaneous, localized quivering of a few muscles, or bundles within a muscle, but which are insufficient to move ajoint.One type issuperior oblique myokymia.
| Myokymia | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Neurology |
Myokymia is commonly used to describe an involuntary eyelid muscle contraction, typically involving thelower eyelidor less often theupper eyelid.It occurs in normal individuals and typically starts and disappears spontaneously. However, it can sometimes last up to three weeks. Since the condition typically resolves itself, medical professionals do not consider it to be serious or a cause for concern.
In contrast, facial myokymia is a fine rippling of muscles on one side of the face and may reflect an underlyingtumorin thebrainstem(typically abrainstem glioma),loss of myelinin thebrainstem(associated withmultiple sclerosis) or in the recovery stage of Miller-Fisher syndrome, a variant ofGuillain–Barré syndrome,an inflammatorypolyneuropathythat may affect thefacial nerve.[citation needed]
Myokymia in otherwise unrelated body parts may occur inneuromyotonia.
Causes
editFrequent contributing factors include: too muchcaffeine,[1][2]high levels ofanxiety,fatigue,dehydration,stress,[2]overwork,and alack of sleep.[2]Use of certaindrugs[which?]oralcoholmay also be factors,[3]as canmagnesium deficiency.It can be also seen in patients withmultiple sclerosis.
Treatment
editMany doctors commonly recommend a combined treatment of awarm compressapplied to the eyes (to relieve muscle tension, relax the muscles, and reduce swelling), a small dosage of antihistamine (to reduce any swelling that may be caused by an allergic reaction), increased bed rest and decreased exposure to computer screens, televisions, and harsh lighting (to allow muscles to rest), and monitoring caffeine intake (as too much caffeine can cause an adverse reaction such as eye twitching, but a controlled dose can serve as an effective treatment by increasing blood flow).[citation needed]
Etymology
editThe term comes from the Greek-mŷs– "muscle," +kŷm,-kŷmia– "something swollen" or-kŷmos– "wave".[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Walton, C.; Kalmar, J. M; Cafarelli, E (18 October 2002)."Effect of caffeine on self-sustained firing in human motor units".The Journal of Physiology.545(2): 671–679.doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2002.025064.PMC2290683.PMID12456842.
- ^abcHa, Ainhi D.; Jankovic, Joseph (2011-01-01), Brotchie, Jonathan; Bezard, Erwan; Jenner, Peter (eds.),"An Introduction to Dyskinesia—The Clinical Spectrum",International Review of Neurobiology,Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Biochemistry of Dyskinesia,98,Academic Press: 1–29,doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-381328-2.00001-8,ISBN9780123813282,PMID21907081,retrieved2020-11-13
- ^"EyeTwitching.net Myokymia Causes".2010. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-09-07.Retrieved2010-10-22.
- ^Facta 2001,part 4, page 113,finnish