• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Malignant hyperthermia

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Definition:

Malignant hyperthermia is an inherited disease that causes a rapid rise in body temperature ( fever ) and severe muscle contractions when the affected person receives general anesthesia .

This condition is not the same as hyperthermia due to medical emergencies such as heat stroke .

Alternative Names:

Hyperthermia - malignant; Hyperpyrexia - malignant

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Malignant hyperthermia is an autosomal dominant trait, meaning it requires only one parent carrying the disease for a child to inherit the condition. It may be associated with muscular diseases such as multiminicore myopathy and central core disease.

One form of malignant hyperthermia is caused by a defect in the ryanodine receptor (RYR1) gene

References:

Marx J. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice . 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2002:2000.

• Review Date: 7/25/2007
• Reviewed By: Chad Haldeman-Englert, MD, Division of Human Genetics, Children's Hospitalof Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed HealthcareNetwork.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.