Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026

Gastrointestinal Motility Monitor (GIMM)
Published on: December 1, 2010
Movement disorders induced by gastrointestinal drugs: two paediatric cases
J Elzinga-Huttenga1, Y Hekster, A Bijl
1Department of Paediatric Neurology, University Medical Centre St Radboud, Geert Grooteplein 10, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
A number of frequently prescribed gastrointestinal drugs can cause movement disorders in children, as well as in adults. In our centre for paediatric neurology, we saw a 3-year-old girl with abnormal movements mostly of the legs with an inner restlessness (akathisia) while using cisapride. Another patient, a 17-year-old male, developed a hemiballism (a fierce movement of one arm and shoulder with a hurling appearance) while using ranitidine for gastric distress. In both children, the movement disorder disappeared after discontinuing the drug. The pathophysiological mechanisms of these drug-induced movement disorders might be related to the central function of histamine in the developing brain. These cases illustrate the importance of being alert for possible drug-induced events early in the process of diagnosing abnormal movement disorders.
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