[A study of clinical symptoms, muscle pathology, therapeutic response, and prognosis of myositis in patients with HTLV-1 associated myelopathy (HAM)].
Myositis is one of well-known complications of HTLV-1 associated myelopathy (HAM). On twelve HAM patients, 10 women and 2 men complicated with myositis, we examined their clinical symptoms, muscle pathology, and therapeutic response. Clinical examination revealed gait disturbance in 10, weakness of upper limbs in 6, muscle atrophy in 4, and myalgia in 3 patients. Blood test disclosed elevated serum CK level in 6 patients. Muscle biopsy showed marked inflammatory changes with many necrotic and degenerating fibers in 7 patients, and the rest showed only focal invasion of inflammatory cells. Eight patients received corticosteroid or immunosuppressant therapy. The neurological symptoms were improved in 5 of 8 patients 3 months after the treatment. And only one out of 5 patients whom we followed up 3 years after the treatment showed improvement.
Inose
M
M
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Kagoshima University.
Higuchi
I
I
Yoshimine
K
K
Arimura
K
K
Osame
M
M
Izumo
S
S
Hokezu
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001284:Atrophy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D009220:Myositis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D009336:Necrosis; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000150:complications*; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011379:Prognosis; D012263:Ribonucleosides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D012263:Ribonucleosides; C010052:mizoribine; D011239:Prednisolone