[Stiff-man syndrome].

Abstract

The Stiff-man syndrome is a rare disease, which is characterized by continuous muscular rigidity and painful muscle spasm. Although large dose diazepam, baclofen, clonazepam, or clonidine benefit the symptoms significantly, the pathophysiology had been unknown until recently. In 1988 and 1990, Solimena et al. reported autoantibody against glutamic acid decarboxylase in sera and cerebrospinal fluids. Plasmapheresis was then applied to a patient with this syndrome, and the symptoms and the electromyographic activities decreased dramatically. The syndrome is likely to be an autoimmune disease, but further detailed studies are required as to the cause and pathophysiology and immunological treatment must should be established.