• Miroslav Cuturic, Laurie M Harden, Melissa H Kannaday, Nioaka N Campbell, and Richard K Harding.
• South Carolina Department of Mental Health, and University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. mirocuturic@yahoo.com
• Int J Eat Disord. 2011 Apr 1; 44 (3): 284-6.

ObjectiveTo report a case of a 35-year-old female initially treated for anorexia nervosa who was found to have Stiff-Person Syndrome (SPS).MethodCase report.ResultsThe patient reported panic attacks at meal times that were found to consist of tetanic contractions of the axial musculature. Swallowing initiated reflexive painful muscle spasms that consequently resulted in cibophobia and significant weight loss. Her serum tested positive for anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies, and she subsequently improved with appropriate treatment for SPS.DiscussionSPS has not been previously reported in the context of eating disorders, although it has been linked to other psychiatric disorders. Often the psychiatrist may be the first physician to diagnose SPS. We present this case to alert practitioners to the potential co-morbidity and symptom overlap between SPS and eating disorders, to aid in early recognition and appropriate treatment of this rare illness.Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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