Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (NORD)
00:00 / 00:00
Videos
Notes
Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (NORD)
Information for patients and families
Glut1 Deficiency Foundation
Glut1 deficiency syndrome (Glut1 Deficiency Foundation)
Gorlin Syndrome Alliance
Gorlin syndrome (Gorlin Syndrome Alliance)
The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
Recurrent pericarditis (NORD)
Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 (NORD)
Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (NORD)
Thyroid eye disease (NORD)
Bile synthesis disorders (NORD)
Cyclic vomiting syndrome (NORD)
Eosinophilic esophagitis (NORD)
Short bowel syndrome (NORD)
Essential thrombocythemia (NORD)
Myelofibrosis (NORD)
Polycythemia vera (NORD)
Sickle cell disease (NORD)
Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (NORD)
Warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia and cold agglutinin (NORD)
Congenital athymia (NORD)
Cytomegalovirus infection after transplant (NORD)
Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (NORD)
Severe chronic neutropenia (NORD)
Adrenoleukodystrophy (NORD)
Alagille syndrome (NORD)
Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency (NORD)
Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (NORD)
Classical homocystinuria (NORD)
Congenital cytomegalovirus (NORD)
Cystinuria (NORD)
Fabry disease (NORD)
Gaucher disease (NORD)
Glycogen storage disease type II (NORD)
Metachromatic leukodystrophy (NORD)
Mucopolysaccharide storage disease type 1 (Hurler syndrome) (NORD)
Mucopolysaccharide storage disease type 2 (Hunter syndrome) (NORD)
Mycobacterium avium complex (NORD)
NGLY1 deficiency (NORD)
Niemann-Pick disease types A and B (NORD)
Phenylketonuria (NORD)
PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum (NORD)
Tay-Sachs disease (NORD)
Zellweger spectrum disorders (NORD)
Early infantile epileptic encephalopathy (NORD)
Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (NORD)
Spinocerebellar ataxia (NORD)
Narcolepsy (NORD)
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (NORD)
IgA nephropathy (NORD)
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (NORD)
The Primary School
ADHD: Information for patients and families (The Primary School)
Asthma: Information for patients and families (The Primary School)
Childhood nutrition and obesity: Information for patients and families (The Primary School)
Childhood oral health: Information for patients and families (The Primary School)
Food allergies and EpiPens: Information for patients and families (The Primary School)
Toxic stress: Information for patients and families (The Primary School)
Assessments
Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (NORD)
USMLE® Step 1 questions
0 / 2 complete
Questions
USMLE® Step 1 style questions USMLE
of complete
Transcript
Content Reviewers
Contributors
Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome is also called OMS or dancing eyes-dancing feet syndrome.
Opsoclonus describes seemingly random, involuntary, and rapid eye movements in the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal directions.
Myoclonus describes lightening-like limb movements or limb jerks, that can also be more tremulous.
The syndrome also causes ataxia, which often results in the inability to walk, sit or crawl, and the loss of previously attained abilities, like speech.
Generally speaking, OMS is thought to be an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks the nervous system, resulting in the characteristic signs and symptoms.
The precise cause of OMS is unknown, but in children, it’s often due to a paraneoplastic syndrome.
The idea is that a hidden or occult tumor - like a neuroblastoma or ganglioneuroblastoma - triggers the body’s immune system, and the resulting antibodies unintentionally target healthy cells of the nervous system.
CD20+ B-cells that get into the CSF fluid seem to play an important role.
One brain area that gets affected is the cerebellum, which plays an important role in coordinating body movements.
In older children and adolescents OMS is thought to be triggered by an infection, and in adults, it’s often due to a paraneoplastic process due to lung or breast cancer, for example.
In children with OMS, there’s almost always ataxia, so it’s sometimes referred to as OMAS - with the A representing ataxia.
In fact, most toddlers with OMS are initially misdiagnosed with acute cerebellar ataxia of childhood.
The diagnosis of OMS is also often based on symptoms like opsoclonus and myoclonus which can appear abruptly, progressing over days to weeks.
Summary
Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a rare condition, characterized by rapid, uncontrolled eye movements (opsoclonus) and sudden twitching or jerking of muscles (myoclonus). It can also present with ataxia, which often results in the inability to walk, sit or crawl, and the loss of previously attained abilities, like speech.
The cause of OMS is not well understood, but it is thought to be due to an autoimmune condition in which the body attacks the nervous system, resulting in characteristic signs and symptoms. Treatment involves immunosuppressive therapy like corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin or IVIG, drugs like cyclophosphamide, and rituximab.
For Institutions
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier, its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
Cookies are used by this site.
USMLE® is a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). COMLEX-USA® is a registered trademark of The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are endorsed by nor affiliated with Osmosis or this website.
