I had a strange episode the other night.
I woke up and thought I had had a stroke. My legs were like jelly, my arms had no strength, and movement was very slow motion. My brain was functioning quite well, although I had no volume to my speech.
I contemplated ringing the ambulance, but decided to stay calm , breathe deeply and do all the tests the doctors would do to diagnose a stroke. I took an asprin, and lay there slowly trying to regain control. It took 30 minutes, and slowly my strength came back. Was it a panick attack, was it a mini stroke, was it something weird? The CT scan the following morning came back clear, except for a diagnosis of, "normal scan. idiopathic calcification of the basal ganglia.'

Normal, it stated clearly. In fact, it was so normal that my doctor didn't even look at the result, until I brought it up. But when I asked her opinion about it, she didn't have a clue what it was. I have been feeling dizzy, slightly off balance, have aching muscles for 2 years, occasional facial neuropathy, headaches, and strange depression, which I never realy had. I am 52, but the doctors cannot work it out. I should be healthy.

This page will attempt to provide information about this 'rare disease", as I gather data from as many places as possible. It may not be the cause of my present symptoms, but so far in my research, it appears that it will undoubtedly have some effects at one point in my life. If anyone has any information, please add it to the page. Please click on my post headlines to take you direct to the relevant sites.Cheers.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Hypoparathyroidism and pseudohypoparathyroidism

Physiological intracranial calcification occurs in about 0.3-1.5% of cases. It is asymptomatic and detected incidentally by neuroimaging. Pathological basal ganglia calcification is due to various causes, such as: metabolic disorders, infectious and genetic diseases. Hypoparathyroidism and pseudohypoparathyroidism are the most common causes of pathological basal ganglia calcification. Besides tetany and seizures this condition is presented by parkinsonism and dementia. Such parkinsonism does not respond to drugs containing levodopa. Infections (toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, cysticercosis, AIDS) give multiple and asymmetric intracranial calcification. Inherited and neurodegenerative diseases cause symmetrical, bilateral basal ganglia calcification which is not related to metabolic disorders. Since adequate treatment of hypoparathyroidism may lead to marked clinical improvement, serum concentration of calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) is suggested to be determined in all individuals with calcification of the basal ganglia to rule out hypoparathyroidism . MORE

From the Department of Internal Medicine, KKGH, Hafr Al Batin, Saudi Arabia
Basak R. OMJ. 24, 220-222 (2009); doi:10.5001/omj.2009.43

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