title: Symptomatic muscle involvement in neurosarcoidosis: a clinicopathological study of 5 cases.
abstract: We report on the clinical course and histopathologic muscle alterations of five patients diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis, who underwent biopsy due to their muscle manifestations. The five patients were females and only one was less than 40 years of age. Proximal muscle weakness was presented by all and only two patients complained of myalgia. Only normal values of serum muscle enzymes were detected. Electromyography revealed diverse findings such as normal, myopathic and neuropathic patterns. Granuloma was not present in one muscle biopsy. Two patients thoroughly recovered by taking only prednisone and one patient required a methotrexate addition for 3 months before becoming asymptomatic. The other two patients received azathioprine, one due to steroid side effects but without a satisfactory evolution, and the other to strengthen the prednisone régime, with excellent results.
authors.affiliation: Neuromuscular Disease Section, Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital de Clínicas, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. scola@hc.ufpr.br
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Scola
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Werneck
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Prevedello
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Greboge
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Iwamoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000175:diagnosis; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D011241:Prednisone