[Agoraphobia and "psychogenic"-attributed gait disorder as symptoms of "stiff-man" syndrome].
We report on two patients with truncal rigidity and agoraphobia. The fear of crossing open places had been judged as psychogenic in both cases. The detection of positive GAD-antibodies led to our final diagnosis. Treatment with liquorphoresis and clonazepam or diazepam alone resulted in a prompt amelioration of the rigidity and, to a lesser extent, of the agoraphobia as well. The stiff-man syndrome has neurological and psychological aspects and shows one more facet of the syndrome of agoraphobia first described by Westphal.
Tesch
M
M
Neurologischen Abteilung Schlosspark-Klinik, Berlin.
Severus
E
E
Holdorff
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000379:Agoraphobia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D016750:Stiff-Person Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology