Journal of Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery

Use of Dopamine Agonist in Tetanus Spasms : A Novel Approach to Revert the Respiratory Spasm - The Cause of Mortality

Abstract

Vinod Kumar Tewari, Abhishek Gupta, Devesh Johari and Lori Tewari

In tetanus patients Levodopa and Carbidopa combination (which is usually used to relieve the signs of extrapyramidal) causes respiratory muscles spasm relief thereby the need for sedatives is decreased and patient saved later on via central nervous system mechanism, by providing the inhibitory neurotransmitters at Anterior Horn cells. The tetanus toxin initially binds to peripheral nerve terminals then it retrogradely goes to CNS attaches with gangliosides at presynaptic inhibitory motor nerve endings, blocks glycine and gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) across the synaptic cleft.