Benign Fasciculation Syndrome And Causes
This is also known as a muscle twitch. The patient who has this condition does not feel pain but they are unable to control it and it is involuntary. The twitching of the eyelids is the most famous of them all and is known by various names such as eyelid spasm, blepharospasm, and myokymia. Benign fasciculation is a syndrome which causes tingling or numbness in one or more muscles. The twitches may not cause a lot of problems but the patients usually get it checked to avoid other serious complications. BFS is very uncommon and can be easily puzzled with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. It is also recognized as Lou Gehrig`s disease. Due to the confusion, it is important that the physician perform a thorough analysis to help with the treatment which is mostly around managing and reducing the stress levels and maintain a high standard of living.
![BFS](https://www.uafp.org/health/media/bfs.jpg)
A muscle twitch is a common thing and majority of the people will experience it at one point in time. A twitch is usually not too strong but they feel it. It does not cause a sudden jerk or contraction in the muscle. Our muscles contain motor units which are a group of muscle and nerve fibers. They work together to contract a muscle when the body needs to complete a movement. This helps in the simultaneous movement of the body to complete a whole movement. When the motor unit starts working on their own it is called fasciculations. The brain does not control these activities and the movements can be unpredicted. It can be a persistent twitch, numbness or tingling sensation in one or more muscles of the people who have Benign fasciculation syndrome or BFS. It can also cause chronic muscle twitching and can last for longer period of time. It can also repeat and may come into view in random muscles. The symptoms may get better or worse with time.
There can be various causes of Benign fasciculation syndrome or BFS but the exact cause is still unknown. It is believed that Benign fasciculation syndrome or BFS happens due to viral infection. It can also happen due to various substances or medications and even drug allergies. Certain drugs which may trigger fasciculations are pseudoephedrine, nortriptyline, dimenhydrinate, beta-agonists, chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, and methylphenidate. In some cases, the twitches subside when the medications stop and do not cause Benign fasciculation syndrome or BFS. The muscle twitches may happen due to trauma or injury or even due to anxiety depression. There are certain other stress-related symptoms such as heartburn, headache, and bowel syndrome.
The symptoms can also vary from people to people and the most common symptom can be persistent twitching in one or more muscle. The muscle twitch will be more when the body is at rest and after some time there may be a pain in the muscle. The patient may also feel weakness. The doctor would like to understand the medical history and the personal background and stress level to diagnose this syndrome. Accordingly, the doctor may prescribe certain medications to treat the symptoms of the Benign fasciculation syndrome or BFS.