Short communication: The Syndrome of Irreversible Lithium-Effectuated Neurotoxicity (SILENT): One-year follow-up of a single case

• Published in: Journal of the neurological sciences 2009-02, Vol.277 (1-2), p.172-173
• Main Authors: Porto, Fabio H G, Leite, Marco A A, Fontenelle, Leonardo F, Marrocos, Rogerio P, Szczerback, Natalia F, de Freitas, Marcos R G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0022-510X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2008.10.010

In this article, we report the case history of a 44-year-old female patient with bipolar disorder who developed the so-called Syndrome of Irreversible Lithium-Effectuated Neurotoxicity (SILENT). A detailed description of our patient's neurologic status is provided at baseline (i.e. during lithium intoxication) and after one year of follow-up, confirming the persistency of cerebellar signs and symptoms. Although rare, our report - which shows a severe and disabling form of SILENT - underscores the need to perform a strict control of the putative risk factors argued to be associated with the development of this syndrome. In our case, the presence of fever and the administration of multiple doses of antipsychotics may have contributed to the poor outcome exhibited by the patient.