Shock News

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Original poster: "davep by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <davep-at-quik-dot-com>

seen on the BBC web site:
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1444000/1444045.stm

Lightning link to muscle disease

At present there is no cure for motor neurone disease
Being struck by lightning or getting a severe
 electric shock could increase your chance of
 developing motor neurone disease (MND), warn
 scientists.  

 French researchers studied people aged
 between six and 67 who had suffered electric
 shocks, either from lightning strikes or by
 coming into contact with electric cables of up
 to 380 volts.  

 All developed the disease, which started at the
 point of entry of the shock.  


 In virtually all of the cases the spinal cord
 was damaged, the most common form of injury
 after a shock.  

 MND is a progressive degenerative disorder
 for which there is no cure.  It eventually
 results in paralysis of muscles in the body.  

 The French authors from the Federation de
 Neurologie, Hospital Gui de Chauliac,
 Montpellier and Service de Neurologie, in
 Limoges then compared their findings from six
 case studies, with previously reported material
 and found striking similarities in cases.  

 They said their findings indicated the
 importance of considering electrical shocks as
 a cause of the disease.  

 The report, published in the Journal of
 Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, said:
 "Although rare, electrical trauma should be
 more often considered as a possible cause of
 MND.  

 Trauma

 "Even if the pathogenic relation between the
 electrical trauma and motor neurone disease is
 difficult to ascertain, it is noteworthy that in
 these cases the disease started at the site of
 the electrical trauma, and that patients have a
 mild handicap after several years." 

 They found that in all but one of the cases
 that motor neurone symptoms appeared
 between 10 days and 33 months after their
 accident.  

 In the sixth case a woman died two years
 after the start of her symptoms, which started
 18 years after the shock.  

 The director of research development at the
 Motor Neurone Disease Association, Dr Brian
 Dickie, said it was important to note that the
 type of MND being discussed was one
 specifically brought on by trauma.  

 Relationship 

 "The authors report a series of cases where a
 motor neurone syndrome occurred after
 electric shock or lightning strike.  

 "The reports of the slow progression of the
 disease (and even partial remission), the
 marked involvement of spinal motor neurones
 and the additional damage to sensory nerves
 mark this as a rare and distinct variant of MND
 caused by sudden trauma.  

 "A relationship between electrical trauma and
 MND has been proposed on a number of
 occasions and epidemiological studies do
 suggest a slightly higher incidence of MND
 amongst workers in the electrical industry.  

 "A prior history of electric shock may well
 damage motor neurones and therefore be a risk
 factor in MND, but is unlikely to be a direct
 cause of the disease in all but a few
 exceptional cases." 

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best
 dwp