Rare autoimmune and neurological conditions known as stiff person syndrome spectrum disorders often result in muscle stiffness and spasms in the torso and limbs.
Plasmapheresis, commonly referred to as therapeutic plasma exchange, is a blood treatment that may be a safe approach to treating stiff-person syndrome spectrum diseases, claims a small, preliminary study published today.
Researchers also discovered that many study participants who received this therapy also noticed improvements in their symptoms, functional abilities, or both.
Symptoms of these problems may appear and disappear early in the disease, but they gradually become chronic. Usually starting in the muscles of the legs and torso, stiffness and spasms eventually spread to the arms and even the face.
There may also be additional signs, like unsteadiness in the walk and unexpected falls. Most sufferers of these illnesses are female.
According to research author Scott D. Newsome, “Stiff person syndrome spectrum disorders are rare, and while there are some treatments for varying forms of these disorders, they are not always effective at reducing symptoms or preventing worsening of function.”
“Finding a new way to treat a debilitating and painful disease that has few side effects or risks is a big win. The findings of our research,” according to the researcher, “help promote awareness of a treatment that may lead to relief for some people living with stiff person syndrome spectrum disorders.”
For the purpose of the study, the researchers looked at the medical records of 36 patients who had been treated with plasmapheresis and suffered from stiff person syndrome spectrum disorders. This process cleans the blood by taking out the plasma and replacing it with albumin, which is made from donated plasma and used to treat some diseases. Most of the people who took part had a classic case of stiff person syndrome.
Therapeutic plasma exchange was determined to be a safe and well-tolerated treatment option for those with stiff person syndrome spectrum condition. Four of the people who were studied, or 11%, had problems with the treatment, like a catheter infection or a blood loss, but no one died or had an allergic reaction.
Additionally, 20 patients, or 56%, improved after receiving these treatments. Three months after the treatment, twelve patients required less prescription drugs to manage their symptoms.
Researchers also looked at other cases and found 42 more people with stiff person syndrome who had the same treatment. Of those 42, 69 percent said their condition got better temporarily.
“While the main focus of the study was safety, and we showed that complications from this treatment in people with stiff person syndrome are rare and manageable, it’s very important that many people saw improvements or maintained the same level of function,” Newsome added. “Further studies could confirm these results and help inform doctors when to use this treatment for stiff person syndrome spectrum disorders.”
The fact that this study was retrospective—rather than tracking study participants in real time—and that means that researchers looked back at medical records—was one of its limitations. Its inclusion of a small number of participants was another drawback. This case series is the largest one to date, according to Newsome.
The study will be presented in San Francisco, California, on July 15 and 16, 2022, at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology Summer Conference: Autoimmune Neurology and Neurology Year in Review.
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