title: [Camptocormia in the elderly. A new entity by paravertebral muscle involvement?].
abstract: "Camptocormism" in the elderly is an acquired kyphosis which increases during walking and is totally reducible in dorsal horizontal position in two thirds of cases. The authors report 16 cases of camptocormism in patients with a mean age of 76 (12 women, 4 men). Camptocormism was accompanied in 5 cases by an extrapyramidal syndrome, in 3 cases by articular chondrocalcinosis, in 1 case by giant cell arteritis and in 1 by rheumatoid arthritis. There was no inflammatory syndrome and muscle enzymes were raised in only 4 cases. Electromyogram of the paravertebral muscles was pathological in 5 cases, with neurogenic changes in 4 cases and a myogenic type tracing in one. CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging showed evidence in all cases of atrophy with fatty involution of the paravertebral muscles. Biopsies of the paravertebral muscles revealed moderate mononuclear cell infiltrates in 4 cases with similar abnormalities in peripheral muscles. Corticosteroids had a beneficial effect in 11 cases out of 13 and the most prolonged results were seen after bolus doses of methylprednisolone. These findings suggest that camptocormism in the elderly could be linked to inadequacy of the paravertebral muscles or, in certain cases, to interstitial myositis.
authors.affiliation: Service de Rhumatologie A, Hôpital Cochin, Paris.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hilliquin
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Menkès
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laoussadi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Job-Deslandre
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Serratrice
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology*; D009220:Myositis / Q000150:complications; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones
vernacular_title: Camptocormie du sujet âgé. Une nouvelle entité par atteinte des muscles paravertébraux?