Comparison of patients with stiff man syndrome with and without task specific phobias
| Variable | Patients with phobia | Patients without phobia | p Value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Fisher’s exact and t tests, as appropriate. | |||
| †Total number for this comparison = 18 (life events could not be ascertained in three patients). | |||
| AMP, amphiphysin; GAD, glutamic acid decarboxylase; PERM, progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus; pSMS, paraneoplastic stiff man syndrome; SLS, stiff leg syndrome; SMS, stiff man syndrome. | |||
| Total number | 19 | 21 | |
| Male (n (%)) | 5 (26.3) | 7 (33.3) | |
| Female (n (%)) | 14 (73.7) | 14 (66.6) | |
| Age (years) | |||
| Mean (SD) | 54.4 (14.9) | 51.8 (13.6) | NS |
| Duration of disease (years) | |||
| Mean (SD) | 8.8 (7.1) | 5.4 (5.4) | NS |
| Type of disease (n (%)) | |||
| SMS | 11 (57.9) | 10 (47.6) | |
| PERM | 7 (36.8) | 6 (28.6) | |
| SLS | 1 (5.3) | 2 (9.5) | |
| pSMS | 0 (0.0) | 3 (14.3) | |
| Antibody status (n (%)) | |||
| AntiGAD positive | 16 (84.2) | 13 (61.9) | |
| AntiAMP positive | 0 (0.0) | 2 (9.5) | |
| AntiGAD/AMP negative | 3 (15.8) | 6 (28.6) | |
| Exaggerated startle response (n (%)) | 16 (84.2) | 11 (52.4) | < 0.05 |
| Psychiatric comorbidity present (n (%)) | 11 (57.9) | 8 (38.1) | NS |
| Significant life event before onset (n (%)) | 11 (57.9) | 8 (44.4†) | NS |
| Initial psychogenic misdiagnosis (n (%)) | 15 (78.9) | 8 (38.1) | < 0.02 |