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Case report
Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome in a young girl
  1. Sarah E Moor1 and
  2. Tova Gardin2,3
  1. 1Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
  2. 2Department of Neurology, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
  3. 3Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
  1. Correspondence to Sarah E Moor; sarah.moor{at}yale.edu

Abstract

Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS) is a neuromuscular junction defect that results in weakness. It is rarely seen in children and most commonly is associated with small-cell lung cancer. Diagnosis of LEMS requires characteristic electromyogram (EMG) findings and the detection of antibodies directed against voltage-gated calcium channels. We report the case of an 8-year-old female child who presented with profound weakness found to have EMG evidence of a neuromuscular junction defect and detectable antivoltage-gated calcium channel antibodies. She received plasma exchange electrophoresis, intravenous immunoglobulin, oral steroids and amifampridine with some clinical improvement. We present a case of a child with a demonstrated autoimmune propensity and no evidence of malignancy, thereby adding to the 12 previously reported cases of LEMS in children.

  • neuromuscular disease
  • paediatrics

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2021-245773

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors SEM and TG identified and managed the case together. SEM prepared the initial draft of the case report, which was critically revised by TG. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.