User:Mr. Ibrahem/Myoclonus

Myoclonus is a brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or group of muscles. It may occur infrequently or many times per minute. Severe cases may limit a person's ability to talk, walk, or eat. It is a medical sign rather than a specific disease.

There are two main categories; physiologic and pathologic. Physiologic types include hiccups and while falling asleep, known as hypnic jerks. Pathologic cases may occur due to dystonia, stroke, brain tumors, kidney problems, liver problems, drug intoxication, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, dementia, and infections such as encephalitis and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Certain cases run in families or occur due to an unknown cause. The underlying mechanism may involve either muscle contraction or muscle relaxation.

Diagnosis may be supported by electromyography (EMG), electroencephalography (EEG), evoked potential studies, and MRI. Treatment depends on the underlying cause. In many cases, efforts remain symptomatic in nature such as the use of clonazepam or botox. Certain cases may benefit from antiseizure medication such as valproate. About 9 per 100,000 are affected at some point in their life. It is more common in older people.