Knowra Neuroleptic malignant syndrome Neuroleptic malignant syndrome Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is a rare, potentially fatal reaction to dopamine-blocking drugs, marked by severe rigidity, fever, altered mental status, and autonomic instability.
Dopamine : Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in movement, motivation, reward, and hormone regulation. Reduced dopamine signaling, especially in motor pathways, is central to the syndrome’s proposed mechanism.
Antipsychotic : An antipsychotic is a medication used to treat psychosis and related symptoms, often by altering dopamine signaling. Many cases follow exposure to antipsychotic medication, including after dose changes or rapid administration.
Serotonin syndrome : Serotonin syndrome is a potentially life-threatening reaction to excessive serotonergic activity, often involving agitation, clonus, and hyperreflexia. It can resemble this syndrome, but clonus and hyperreflexia more strongly suggest serotonin toxicity.
Chlorpromazine : Chlorpromazine is an early antipsychotic medication introduced into psychiatric practice in the 1950s. Its widespread use helped establish the clinical setting in which severe neuroleptic reactions were recognized.
Dopamine antagonist : A dopamine antagonist is a substance that blocks dopamine receptors or reduces their signaling. These drugs are the principal medication trigger for neuroleptic malignant syndrome.
Metoclopramide : Metoclopramide is a medication used for nausea and delayed gastric emptying that blocks dopamine receptors. This non-psychiatric dopamine-blocking drug can also precipitate the syndrome.
Malignant hyperthermia : Malignant hyperthermia is an inherited susceptibility to a severe reaction triggered by certain anesthetic drugs. Both can cause rigidity and hyperthermia, but malignant hyperthermia is linked to anesthetic exposure and genetic susceptibility.
Pierre Deniker : Pierre Deniker was a French psychiatrist who helped introduce chlorpromazine into psychiatric treatment. His clinical work helped shape the early recognition of severe reactions to neuroleptic drugs.
Muscle rigidity : Muscle rigidity is sustained resistance to passive movement, often affecting multiple muscle groups. Marked rigidity is a defining feature and can contribute to muscle breakdown and heat production.
Creatine kinase : Creatine kinase is an enzyme found mainly in skeletal muscle, heart, and brain; blood levels rise with muscle injury. Its blood level helps assess muscle damage and track complications, though it does not diagnose the syndrome alone.
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