A case of Hodgkin's lymphoma producing neuromyotonia

Abstract

The syndrome of neuromyotonia produces muscle stiffness, cramps, and frequently, excessive sweating. Most cases are idiopathic, but some are associated with neoplasms, especially immune cell cancers. Voltage-gated potassium channels may be the target of an autoantibody attack in idiopathic generalized neuromyotonia (Isaacs' syndrome). The cases associated with neoplasms may also have an autoimmune etiology. We report the first case of neuromyotonia as the presenting feature of Hodgkin's lymphoma and propose a paraneoplastic mechanism that would link the purported autoimmune etiology in Isaacs' syndrome with the cancer-associated cases.