What causes dystonia?

What causes dystonia?

Dystonia happens because of disruptions in how your brain should function. It usually involves your basal ganglia, a group of brain structures that link many different brain areas and coordinate how those areas work together.

Experts organize the causes of dystonia into three categories: Primary, secondary and “dystonia plus” conditions.

• Primary dystonia: This is when dystonia is the main condition. It’s usually “idiopathic,” which means it happens for an unknown reason. Experts also suspect genetics are a factor, meaning it runs in families.
• Secondary dystonia: This is when dystonia is a symptom of another condition or issue.
• Dystonia plus: These are neurological conditions where dystonia is a main symptom, but there are other symptoms, too.

Secondary dystonia causes

Secondary dystonia can happen because of, or in connection with, a wide range of reasons:

• Brain tumors.
• Other brain conditions (such as epilepsy, Parkinsonism, Parkinson’s disease, etc.).
• Cerebral hypoxia (especially for newborns who experienced a lack of oxygen during their birth).
• Drugs (prescription or recreational).
• Genetic conditions (such as Wilson’s disease or Huntington’s disease).
• Infections (such as encephalitis).
• Metabolic conditions.
• Stroke.
• Toxins and poisons (carbon monoxide poisoning, manganese poisoning, etc.).
• Traumatic brain injuries.