Tardive dyskinesia

Tardive dyskinesia
Tardive dyskinesia is believed to involve the neurotransmitter dopamine
Pronunciation	/ˈtɑːrdᵻv ˌdɪskᵻˈniːʒə/
Classification and external resources
Specialty	Psychiatry
ICD-10	G24.0
ICD-9-CM	333.85
OMIM	272620
DiseasesDB	12909
MedlinePlus	000685
eMedicine	neuro/362
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Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a difficult-to-treat and often incurable form of dyskinesia, a disorder resulting in involuntary, repetitive body movements. In this form of dyskinesia, the involuntary movements are tardive, meaning they have a slow or belated onset. This neurological disorder, by definition, most frequently occurs as the result of long-term (usually at least 3 months duration) or high-dose use of antipsychotic drugs, or in children and infants as a side effect from usage of drugs for gastrointestinal disorders.

Tardive dyskinesia is characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements. Some examples of these types of involuntary movements include:

Rapid, involuntary movements of the limbs, torso, and fingers may also occur. In some cases, an individual's legs can be so affected that walking becomes difficult or impossible. These symptoms are the opposite of patients who are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's patients have difficulty moving, whereas tardive dyskinesia patients have difficulty not moving.

Respiratory irregularity, such as grunting and difficulty breathing, is another symptom associated with tardive dyskinesia, although studies have shown that the prevalence rate is relatively low.

Tardive dyskinesia is often misdiagnosed as a mental illness rather than a neurological disorder, and as a result patients are prescribed neuroleptic drugs, which increase the probability that the patient will develop a severe and disabling case, and shortening the typical survival period.

Other closely related neurological disorders have been recognized as variants of tardive dyskinesia. Tardive dystonia is similar to standard dystonia but permanent. Tardive akathisia involves painful feelings of inner tension and anxiety and a compulsive drive to move the body. In some extreme cases, afflicted individuals experience so much internal torture that they lose their ability to sit still. Tardive tourettism is a tic disorder featuring the same symptoms as Tourette syndrome. The two disorders are extremely close in nature and often can only be differentiated by the details of their respective onsets. Tardive myoclonus, a rare disorder, presents as brief jerks of muscles in the face, neck, trunk, and extremities.

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