Muscle fasciculations

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/watch?v=A95YZd01k1c&autoplay=0 Muscle fasciculations or muscle twitches are small, rapid, involuntary contractions in that are too weak to move a limb. Superficial muscle fasciculations are visible to the eye. Deeper muscle fasciculations may be invisible, and can be detected by electromyography (EMG) testing.

Prevalence
A 2001 Belgian study of 2073 chronic fatigue syndrome patients found that 58.5% of patients meeting the Fukuda criteria for CFS and 64.1% of patients meeting the Holmes criteria reported muscle fasciculations.

Symptom recognition
The Canadian Consensus Criteria for ME/CFS lists muscle fasciculations as a possible symptom in the list of Neurological/Cognitive Manifestations.

Possible causes
Muscle fasciculations result from an involuntary firing of a single motor neuron (nerve cell) and all its innervated muscle fibers.

Possible causes include:
 * stress or anxiety
 * excessive exercise
 * fatigue
 * too much caffeine intake
 * poor sleep management or sleep apnea
 * dehydration
 * electrolyte abnormalities

Benign Fasciculation Syndrome
Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS) is a greater than normal occurrence of fasiculations that are not associated with disease.

Illnesses causing muscle fasiculations
Muscle fasciculations can occur in healthy people especially in the eyelid muscles, and are considered harmless, however, when fasciculations are accompanied by muscle weakness or muscle wasting, these fasciculations may indicate a neurological dysfunction.

Fasiculations can sometimes be caused by systemic or other diseases; these are typically nore common than ALS. Illnesses that may cause fasiculations include:
 * hyperthyroidism
 * hypophosphatemia
 * calcium disorders secondary to hyperparathyroidism
 * low magnesium level (hypomagnesemia)
 * neuromuscular disorders
 * tongue fasiculations have been found in a third of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Drugs linked to benign fasiculations

 * Mestinon (pyridostigmine) which is taken by some people with ME/CFS
 * cholinesterase inhibitors other than pyridostigmine
 * central nervous system stimulants such as theophylline and lithium

Potential treatments
Addressing any lifestyle factors such as excessive caffeine intake, and treating any disorders that are associated with the fasciculations.

Notable studies

 * 2001, A definition‐based analysis of symptoms in a large cohort of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (Full text)

Learn more

 * Another Perspective on Fasciculations: When is it not Caused by the Classic form of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Progressive Spinal Atrophy?