More common in women than men, stiff person syndrome (formerly called stiff man syndrome) primarily affects the brain and spinal cord.
With this syndrome, the muscles of the trunk and abdomen gradually stiffen and hypertrophy. The muscles of the arms and legs are affected to a lesser degree. In principle, stiff person syndrome progresses, leading to disability and stiffness of the whole body.
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Who is affected by this syndrome?
Like multiple sclerosis, women are the most affected, since 2/3 of patients are female. This disease particularly strikes from the age of 45. It affects one person in a million.
Stiff person syndrome also develops in people with type 1 diabetes, certain autoimmune diseases (such as thyroiditis), or certain types of cancer, including breast cancer (most commonly), lung cancer, or thyroid cancer.
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What are the causes of this syndrome?
This pathology can arise from an autoimmune reaction, when the body produces antibodies that attack its own tissues.
Most people with this condition have some type of antibody, suggesting that stiff person syndrome may be part of an autoimmune disease. These diseases are characterized by a malfunction of the immune system, which attacks the body instead of protecting it.
Can it be cured?
There are different forms of stiff person syndrome, such as stiff limb syndrome, which affects only one limb, or progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus (PERM), a more serious form which can lead to respiratory failure and be life-threatening.
Although it is not currently possible to cure this syndrome, the disease, when properly managed, can stabilize over the years.
There is no curative or preventive treatment for stiff man syndrome at this stage of scientific advances. The treatments prescribed for this pathology aim only to relieve the symptoms.
