Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the electrophysiolog
ical consequences of neuromuscular and central nervous system involvement i
n a group of patients presented with the neurological complications of a lo
ng-term hunger strike (HS).
Methods: Motor and sensory nerve conduction (NCV), F wave, somatosensory ev
oked potential (SEP) and motor evoked potential (MEP) studies were performe
d in 12 male and 3 female patients (mean age: 29.4) following HS.
Results: All patients whose weight loss was 11-31 (mean: 22.8) kg after 69-
day HS, had neurological findings consistent with Wernicke's encephalopathy
or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Abnormally prolonged latency and/or low am
plitude sensory nerve action potentials were found in 7 patients. The ampli
tudes of compound muscle action potentials were significantly reduced in ul
nar, median and tibial motor NCV studies as compared to the controls. F wav
es elicited by median nerve stimulation at wrist and muscle responses evoke
d by cervical and lumbar magnetic stimulation had significantly prolonged l
atencies. MEPs recorded from the lower extremities showed a slight prolonga
tion in central conduction times. The cortical response latencies were prol
onged in tibial SEPs.
Conclusions: The most prominent finding in this patient group was the low a
mplitude of CMAPs elicited in motor NCV studies which was Concluded to be r
esulted from the reversible muscular changes. The other electrophysiologica
l findings suggested that peripheral nerves and long central nervous system
pathways were also mildly involved. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.
All rights reserved.