The Stiff People: Two Rare Cases of Stiff-person Syndrome

Abstract

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare disorder that affects the central nervous system and is characterized by progressive muscle stiffness, rigidity, and spasm of axial and limb muscles. The syndrome is caused by a lack of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which occurs because of antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), an essential enzyme for GABA synthesis. Hence, the patients present with increased muscular activity. In this article, we will discuss two case studies of stiff-person syndrome.

Keywords: gaba; gad; gamma butyric amino acid; glutamic acid decarboxylase; sps; stiff-man syndrome; stiff-person syndrome.