AI Article Synopsis
- - Magnesium (Mg) inhibits neurotransmitter release by competing with calcium during synaptic transmission and is commonly used to treat conditions like eclampsia and preeclampsia.
- - After being treated with Mg following an emergency Caesarian section, two pregnant women exhibited a "pseudocoma" state characterized by severe muscle weakness, absence of reflexes, and lack of respiratory effort, yet they still had intact pupillary responses.
- - The lack of reflexes in striated muscles, alongside preserved pupillary reflexes, suggested a problem at the neuromuscular junction, and both women recovered after stopping Mg treatment.
Article Abstract
Magnesium (Mg) competes with calcium in normal synaptic transmission, inhibiting neurotransmitter release. As a drug, it is usually given as a treatment for eclampsia and preeclampsia. Two eclamptic pregnant women treated with Mg developed a pseudocoma state immediately after emergency Caesarian section. The clinical presentation was flaccid quadriparesis, areflexia, absent respiratory effort and vestibular-ocular reflexes, but with preserved pupillary responses. Decremental responses on repetitive nerve stimulation were found in both women. Recovery was obtained after cessation of Mg. The persistence of pupillary reflexes in the absence of reflexes involving striated muscles was an important clinical clue, indicating neuromuscular junction dysfunction.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000200956 | DOI Listing |
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