![Tetany – types, symptoms, causes, treatment [EXPLAINED]](https://healthy-food-near-me.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/tetany-types-symptoms-causes-treatment-explained-920x425.jpg)
In line with its mission, the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony makes every effort to provide reliable medical content supported by the latest scientific knowledge. The additional flag “Checked Content” indicates that the article has been reviewed by or written directly by a physician. This two-step verification: a medical journalist and a doctor allows us to provide the highest quality content in line with current medical knowledge.
Our commitment in this area has been appreciated, among others, by by the Association of Journalists for Health, which awarded the Editorial Board of MedTvoiLokony with the honorary title of the Great Educator.
Tetany is a disease that causes tingling and twitching of the muscles in different parts of the body. There are two types of tetany: overt and latent. Who is at risk of developing tetany? Can painful muscle cramps be the result of calcium deficiency? When do they need to be treated in hospital? What should a diet of a person suffering from tetany look like?
The main symptom of this syndrome is uncontrolled, severe muscle contractions. The cause of tetany is too low level of calcium in the blood, which is often accompanied by a deficiency of magnesium and potassium.
Calcium is involved in the processes of nerve impulse transmission and determines the balance between the processes of excitation and inhibition in the cerebral cortex. Ionic disturbances disturb the course of these phenomena.
Tetany was first described in 1874 as a disease characterized by excessive neuromuscular excitability. Only after about 80 years, the first reports and studies appeared that confirmed the thesis that tetany is much more common in people with magnesium deficiency.
If you want to learn how to deal with contractions, check out: A way to shrink
Tetany – types
The first type of tetany is the so-called overt tetanywhich is associated with hormonal disruptions. It is characterized by excessive neuromuscular excitability. It usually appears after surgical removal of the parathyroid glands and during autoimmune diseases that lead to parathyroid disorders. Hormonal disturbances can sometimes be caused by atrophy of the thymus gland and other conditions that cause hypocalcaemia. Overt tetany can be caused by diuretics.
With low levels of calcium in the blood, the second type of this disease can occur in the muscles – latent tetany. This is a condition in which the body is somewhat hyperactive but does not yet experience spontaneous muscle contractions. In such a situation, even a small external stimulus can trigger them. Such a stimulus can be an increase in pH in the body, called respiratory alkalosis, which is associated with deep and rapid breathing. Hyperventilation occurs most often during anxiety attacks, stressful situations and panic attacks.
Do you want to know more about hyperventilation? Read: Hyperventilation – causes, symptoms, effects, treatment
Tetany – causes
A common cause of overt tetany is the accidental removal of the parathyroid gland during a surgical operation (especially within the thyroid gland). Low levels of calcium in the blood may also result from insufficient calcium intake with food, impaired absorption of this element in the intestine, and vitamin D deficiency.
Overt tetany may also occur during pancreatic diseases and excessive loss of calcium in the urine (e.g. as a result of the use of diuretics, so-called loop diuretics) and in renal failure. On the other hand, spasmophilia, or latent tetany, results from calcium deficiency, which is often accompanied by a deficiency of magnesium and potassium.
Which foods contain the most potassium? Read: Potassium – properties in the body
Tetany – symptoms
The symptoms of tetany are usually characteristic. Among them, we distinguish primarily muscle contractions – they can be very painful. The contractions usually start with the hands (the so-called obstetrician’s hand – complete flexion of all joints of the 4th and 5th fingers, with simultaneous extension of the thumb, index and middle finger). Then they move on to the forearms, arms, face (eyelid contraction, the so-called “carp mouth”), chest and legs.
Other symptoms of tetany include: spasm of the eyelids, photophobia, double vision, spasm of the muscles of the larynx, bronchospasm (asthma attack), palpitations, numbness and tingling in the fingers or toes, trembling of the lips, migraine.
Symptoms of overt tetany include, among others: trembling in the fingers and around the mouth; fainting with fits (often mistaken for symptoms of epilepsy) and irritability. People suffering from overt tetany may experience tension in the muscles of the face, limbs and contractures. Patients also complain of memory impairment, problems with concentration, and sleep disorders.
Latent tetany is characterized by certain symptoms, including: numbness and tingling in the limbs, insomnia, weakness, constant fatigue, flatulence, palpitations and chest pain. There may also be spasms in the muscles of the face and fingers, and nervous tension. The symptoms of this disease can also include the so-called Chvostek symptom, i.e. a strong contraction of facial expression muscles after hitting the rim of the masseter muscle with a neurological hammer.
What exactly is the symptom of Chvostek and what does it indicate? Read: What does the Chvostek symptom show?
Young people who lead an active professional life struggle with tetany most often. Tetany occurs in almost 40 percent. cases of postoperative hypothyroidism and in approx. 75%. cases of idiopathic hypothyroidism. People suffering from diabetes and various allergies are the most vulnerable to tetany.
If you have noticed symptoms of allergy, do some blood tests to see if certain symptoms are related to it.
Latent tetany is a phenomenon that most often occurs in young women who struggle with the aforementioned symptoms, which are ambiguous and require consultation with various specialists. The most unobvious symptom of tetany, occurring in about 1-2 percent of the general population are panic attacks that occur between the ages of 15 and 30 in women.
What makes us sensitive? Check: Allergen – types of allergens, allergy symptoms
Tetany – diagnosis and treatment
To identify the type of tetany, it is helpful to start with blood tests. It is these tests that will help determine the level of calcium, magnesium and potassium deficiency. These elements are commonly determined in serum, but this method does not give reliable results. The elements present in the serum are closely related to proteins and other chemical compounds, therefore they are treated by the body as inactive.
It is worth remembering that calcium, magnesium and potassium ions are part of all morphotic elements, which include thrombocytes, erythrocytes and leukocytes. Scientists have carried out a series of studies to what extent these elements are useful and ionized in individual blood elements. Only this type of research is reliable and helps to assess the type of disorder in the area of neuromuscular hyperactivity, i.e. overt or latent tetany.
In addition, doctors recommend a number of the following tests: EMG, i.e. electromyography and echocardiography. Also worth doing: electroencephalography and electrocardiography. Treatment of tetany must be carried out in a hospital setting due to the fact that the larynx may close. In most cases, administration of calcium salts, such as calcium chloride or calcium glutamate, is sufficient.
Do you know what chloride is used for? Read: Calcium chloride – properties, application, effect on health
Discuss the test results without leaving your home. Use the online consultation option and send the medical documentation to the doctor before the visit. Register now and consult your doctor without leaving your home.
The key issue in preventing tetany is a proper diet that will provide the body with an adequate supply of calcium. Our diet should include dairy products such as rennet ripening cheese, processed camembert cheese, bryndza, powdered milk and unsweetened condensed milk.
Sardines, salmon and smoked sprats are also rich in calcium. Every day, as a snack, it is worth eating all kinds of nuts (peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios) as well as sunflower seeds and poppy seeds.
The diet should include vegetables, which include: broccoli, spinach, beetroot, parsley, watercress and beans. Large amounts of calcium can also be found in egg yolks and skim milk. Also, remember to reduce the amount of products containing oxalic acid (sorrel, spinach and rhubarb) or phytic acid (grains and legumes) in your daily diet, which increase the risk of tetany. When consumed in larger amounts, they hinder the absorption of calcium in the intestines.
Why is it worth eating sorrel? Read: Sorrel – what can we find in field sorrel?
The healing of overt and latent tetany largely depends on the symptoms and causes. If you suffer from low calcium levels, for example caused by diuretics, it is enough to change your medication or take a different therapy to make your tetany symptoms disappear.
People struggling with hypocalcaemia in combination with hypoparathyroidism can also function normally. It is enough to fulfill several conditions: supplement drugs as recommended, introduce an appropriate diet rich in calcium and systematically perform check-ups.
If you want to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of dietary supplements, read on: Dietary supplements – definition, precautions, slimming
Yes, there are cases where tetany is fatal. This can happen when the glottis spasms, causing the larynx to close and breathing problems. In this case, call a doctor immediately as inability to breathe is life-threatening.
In addition to the above-mentioned example, tetany can also cause the aforementioned hyperventilation. Hyperventilation is a condition in which you start to breathe quickly and deeply, and it requires immediate attention as its prolonged occurrence leads to an acid-base imbalance. Consequently, it leads to respiratory alkalosis, which affects the risk of cerebral hypoxia or arrhythmia (in heart patients).
What are the causes and symptoms of heart problems? Check: Heart arythmia
The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website. Do you need a medical consultation or an e-prescription? Go to halodoctor.pl, where you will get online help – quickly, safely and without leaving your home.