A case of stiff person syndrome with symptoms similar to panic attack
10.3760/cma.j.cn113661-20240814-00274
- VernacularTitle:类似惊恐发作症状的僵人综合征1例
- Author:
Wanyan ZHOU
1
;
Caiping LIU
;
Haiying CHEN
;
Wanying LIU
;
Siying XIANG
;
Xinyi QIAN
;
Xin LI
;
Xiaohua LIU
;
Guanjun LI
Author Information
1. 上海交通大学医学院附属精神卫生中心，上海 200030
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Stiff-person syndrome;
Panic disorder;
Multiple disciplinary team;
Precision diagnosis
- From:
Chinese Journal of Psychiatry
2025;58(1):51-54
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neuro-immune disorder characterized by exaggerated startle responses and muscle spasms in response to minor stimuli. SPS is often misdiagnosed as panic disorder or agoraphobia. This paper reported a case of a patient with SPS presenting symptoms similar to panic attack. The patient had been misdiagnosed as dystonia, anxiety disorder and panic attack. The patient was finally correctly diagnosed through multiple disciplinary team discussions. This study integrates a comprehensive understanding of symptomatology and patient-reported experiences with targeted neurological evaluations and supplementary diagnostic tools to improve the accuracy of etiological diagnoses. This study aims to enhance the ability of psychiatrists to recognize somatic diseases presenting with psychiatric symptoms and to improve clinical diagnostic and treatment levels.
