EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, April 16, 2002
Though Rare, Victims of Lightning Strike May Suffer Involuntary Movement Disorders
Denver, Colo. -
As if being struck by lightning wasn''t hard enough on a person, in rare cases, ongoing complications of the nervous system result in involuntary movement disorders. Among lightning-strike victims, researchers have discovered involuntary movement symptoms including uncontrollable blinking and forcible closure of eyelids, tic-like movements resembling Tourette''s syndrome, guttural vocalizations, hand tremors, and spasms of major muscle groups. Through a study presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers from the Lightning Data Center of St. Anthony Hospital, Denver, are raising awareness of this uncommon, but debilitating neurological complication among lightning-strike patients. "Involuntary movement disorders - IMDs -- are more commonly found in patients who''ve experienced a generated electrical trauma, such as contact with a ''live'' ungrounded wire," commented study author Michael Cherington, MD. "Yet we have found four patients who had these symptoms after being struck by lightning." The explanations for IMD after lightning strikes vary from a direct causal relationship to a precipitating factor, or IMD symptoms may even be coincidental to the lightning strike event. Further study will help elucidate the role of lightning strike in IMD, and also identify potential treatment options.