Morvan's syndrome is a rare syndrome of likely autoimmune etiology characterized by peripheral nerve hyperexcitability, dysautonomia, insomnia, and fluctuating delirium with prominent hallucinations. Since its first mention in 1890, less than 100 cases have been described in literature. The largest existing review includes details of 29 cases. This case series describes 4 cases (M = 4) of Morvan's syndrome which presented between May and November 2017 to a single tertiary care referral teaching hospital in north India. All the four patients manifested behavioral abnormalities, sleep disturbances, hallucinations, autonomic dysfunction, and clinical signs of peripheral nerve hyperexcitability, mostly as myokymia. Two of the patients had Anti-CASPR2 (contactin-associated protein 2) antibodies. Three of them had electromyography features of peripheral nerve hyperexcitability and only one had elevated cerebrospinal fluid protein level. We hypothesize that Morvan's syndrome and other less characterized autoimmune encephalitis/peripheral nervous system syndromes may have infectious triggers. A possible viral trigger may result in generation of autoantibodies which result in the typical manifestations. We base these hypotheses on the finding of four cases of an orphan disease within a short period of time in a limited geographical distribution.
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a well-known cause of stroke in children, but its association is relatively rare in adults. We describe a case of 36-year-old woman, a known diabetes mellitus, who presented with recurrent vomiting, headache, and altered sensorium. Investigations revealed severe iron deficiency anemia, thrombocytosis, and ketoacidosis. Magnetic resonance imaging suggested acute infarct of B/L parieto-occipito-temporo-cerebellar region. Patient was worked up for possible causes of stroke in young. She underwent computed tomography angiography of the brain, echocardiogram, and screening for thrombophilia disorders. This, however, did not demonstrate a clear etiology and there were no other evidences of diabetic angiopathy. Some previously published case reports have suggested IDA as a potential cause of ischemic stroke; it is possible that the stroke in this young woman was attributable to severe IDA. Whether cerebrovascular accident has led to diabetic ketoacidosis or vice versa is a topic of discussion which needs further studies. Moreover, such catastrophes could be prevented by early diagnosis and timely management through involvement of primary care physicians.
Dabigatran is a newer oral direct thrombin inhibitor approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The proper dosage of the drug, the potential for adverse drug reactions and the nature of bleeds with use of this drug as with other novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs), in the elderly population are still areas of uncertainty. Despite the existence of a specific antibody, idarucizumab which is an antidote to dabigatran toxicity, management of dabigatran-induced bleeds is an undefined area especially in resource constrained settings. We report severe haematuria with dabigatran in three elderly Indian patients at the lowest recommended therapeutic dose and explore these grey zones in dabigatran therapy.
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