• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Myotonia congenita

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Thomsen's disease

Treatment:

Treatment for symptoms of myotonia congenita includes mexiletine, phenytoin, and procainamide.

Expectations (prognosis):

Affected people do well. Symptoms only occur when a movement is first started. After a few repetitions, the muscle relaxes and the movement becomes normal. Symptoms may improve later in life.

Complications:

• Frequent choking, gagging, or difficulty swallowing in an infant
• Aspiration pneumonia , related to swallowing difficulties

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if symptoms of myotonia congenita develop.

• Review Date: 5/16/2006
• Reviewed By: Daniel Kantor, M.D., Director of the Comprehensive MS Center, Neuroscience Institute, University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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.