Learn About Lambert-Eaton Syndrome
Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is a rare disorder in which faulty communication between nerves and muscles leads to muscle weakness.
Myasthenic syndrome; Eaton-Lambert syndrome; Lambert-Eaton syndrome; LES
LEMS is an autoimmune disorder. This means your immune system mistakenly targets healthy cells and tissues in the body. With LEMS, antibodies produced by the immune system attack nerve cells. This makes nerves cells unable to release enough of a chemical called acetylcholine. This chemical transmits impulses between nerves and muscles. The result is muscle weakness.
LEMS may occur with cancers such as small cell lung cancer or autoimmune disorders such as vitiligo, which leads to a loss of skin pigment.
LEMS affects men more often than women. The most common age of occurrence is around age 60 years. LEMS is rare in children.
Weakness or loss of movement that can be more or less severe, including:
- Difficulty climbing stairs, walking, or lifting things
- Muscle pain
- Drooping of the head
- The need to use the hands to get up from a sitting or lying position
- Problems talking
- Problems chewing or swallowing, which may include gagging or choking
- Vision changes, such as blurry vision, double vision, and problem keeping a steady gaze
Weakness is generally mild in LEMS. Leg muscles are mostly affected. Weakness may improve after exercise, but continuous exertion causes fatigue in some cases.
Symptoms related to the other parts of the nervous system often occur, and may include:
- Blood pressure changes
- Dizziness upon standing
- Dry mouth
- Erectile dysfunction
- Dry eyes
- Constipation
- Decreased sweating
The main goals of treatment are to:
- Identify and treat any underlying disorders, such as lung cancer
- Give treatment to help with the weakness
Plasma exchange, or plasmapheresis, is a treatment that helps remove from the body any harmful proteins (antibodies) that are interfering with nerve function. This involves removing blood plasma that contains the antibodies. Other proteins (such as albumin) or donated plasma are then infused into the body.
Another procedure involves using intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) to infuse a large amount of helpful antibodies directly into the bloodstream.
Medicines that may also be tried include:
- Medicines that suppress the immune system's response
- Anticholinesterase medicines to improve muscle tone (although these are not very effective when given alone)
- Medicines that increase the release of acetylcholine from nerve cells
Advocate Medical Group Neurology
David Randall is a Neurologist in Park Ridge, Illinois. Dr. Randall is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Lambert-Eaton Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Lambert-Eaton Syndrome, Peripheral Neuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, and Myasthenia Gravis.
Duke Electromyography Laboratory - Clinic 1L
Vern Juel is a Neurologist in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Juel has been practicing medicine for over 36 years and is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Lambert-Eaton Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Myasthenia Gravis, Lambert-Eaton Syndrome, Inclusion Body Myositis, Meige Syndrome, and Thymectomy.
Masakatsu Motomura practices in Nagasaki, Japan. Mr. Motomura is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Lambert-Eaton Syndrome. His top areas of expertise are Lambert-Eaton Syndrome, Myasthenia Gravis, Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration, Cerebellar Degeneration, and Thymectomy.
Symptoms of LEMS may improve by treating the underlying disease, suppressing the immune system, or removing the antibodies. However, paraneoplastic LEMS may not respond as well to treatment. (Paraneoplastic LEMS symptoms are due to an altered immune system response to a tumor). Death is due to underlying malignancy.
Complications of LEMS may include:
- Difficulty breathing, including respiratory failure (less common)
- Difficulty swallowing
- Infections, such as pneumonia
- Injuries from falls and problems with coordination
Contact your provider if symptoms of LEMS develop.
Summary: CoRDS, or the Coordination of Rare Diseases at Sanford, is based at Sanford Research in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It provides researchers with a centralized, international patient registry for all rare diseases. This program allows patients and researchers to connect as easily as possible to help advance treatments and cures for rare diseases. The CoRDS team works with patient advocacy groups, in...
Summary: This observational study seeks to investigate the underlying processes of myasthenia gravis by employing multimodal monitoring techniques. By integrating digital biomarkers alongside clinical monitoring, we aim to enhance the detection of disease activity and establish correlations between digital measures, clinical scores and various questionnaires including sores on quality of life, sleep qualit...
Published Date: June 13, 2024
Published By: Joseph V. Campellone, MD, Department of Neurology, Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, Camden, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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