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Information in this website is provided to support your understanding of LEMS but is always secondary to the advice of your doctor. Please consult your doctor for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition.
Understanding LEMS
LEMS is a rare neuromuscular autoimmune disease that occurs when antibodies interfere with signals between the nerve and muscle cells. It causes progressive muscle weakness and about half of cases are associated with cancer.1
Diagnosis
LEMS is diagnosed based on the presence of characteristic signs and symptoms, abnormalities in nerve stimulation tests and detection of autoantibodies.1
Management
Once diagnosed, treatment of any associated cancer is the first step in managing LEMS. Further care includes treatment to relieve the symptoms and therapies to reduce the activity of the immune system.2,3
Resources
References:
1. Titulaer MJ, Lang B, Verschuuren JJGM. Lancet Neurol 2011;10:1098–1107. 2. Tarr TB, Wipf P, Meriney SD. Mol Neurobiol 2015;52(1):456–463. 3. BMJ Best Practice. Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome; management approach http://bestpractice.bmj.com/best-practice/monograph/1052/treatment/step-by-step.html (accessed April 2021).
1. Titulaer MJ, Lang B, Verschuuren JJGM. Lancet Neurol 2011;10:1098–1107. 2. Tarr TB, Wipf P, Meriney SD. Mol Neurobiol 2015;52(1):456–463. 3. BMJ Best Practice. Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome; management approach http://bestpractice.bmj.com/best-practice/monograph/1052/treatment/step-by-step.html (accessed April 2021).