Neuroleptic malignant síndrome

Abstract

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is a rare medical emergency, serious and potentially fatal, associated with the use of neuroleptic drugs, whose prevalence is approximately 0.02 to 3% of patients, and is characterized by hyperthermia, muscle rigidity, impaired consciousness and dysautonomia, as well as elevated creatine kinase (CK), although often not easy to recognize because of the variety of differential diagnoses. The most accepted theory is related to dopaminergic activity in the central nervous system affecting the basal ganglia and the  hypothalamus, so that in its treatment is the use of dopamine agonists such as bromocriptine, in addition to other measures general. Mortality results directly from the dysautonomic manifestations of the disease and from the systemic complications such as heart and acute renal failure secondary to rhabdomyolysis, if not treated early.