Musculoskeletal pain in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 2.
BACKGROUND
Myotonic dystrophy type 2/proximal myotonic myopathy (DM2/PROMM) is an autosomal dominant multisystem disorder. Musculoskeletal pain is one of its frequent symptoms but also occurs in other chronic noninflammatory muscle disorders (OMD).


OBJECTIVE
To characterize the phenotype of DM2/PROMM-associated musculoskeletal pain and to test whether it shows features distinct from OMD.


METHODS
Outpatient clinic for patients with neuromuscular disorders, university hospital.


METHODS
Twenty-four patients with DM2/PROMM (12 women and 12 men; median age, 57 years) and 24 age- and sex-matched patients with OMD consecutively recruited during a 3-year period were examined for musculoskeletal pain.


METHODS
Standardized pain assessment; McGill Pain Questionnaire; depression score; and quantification of pain thresholds to blunt pressure on limb muscles with analgometer.


RESULTS
Unlike patients with OMD who have musculoskeletal pain, patients with DM2/PROMM distinguished a wide spectrum of coexisting pain types. The major pain type in patients with DM2/PROMM was exercise-related, temperature-modulated, and palpation-induced, whereas, cramps were rare. In 8 of the patients with DM2/PROMM and in 3 of the patients with OMD, musculoskeletal pain was the most disabling symptom.


CONCLUSIONS
Besides many similarities, DM2/PROMM-associated musculoskeletal pain shows features distinct from OMD.
George
Annette
A
Department of Neurology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Strasse 11, 97080 Würzburg, Germany.
Schneider-Gold
Christiane
C
Zier
Sandra
S
Reiners
Karlheinz
K
Sommer
Claudia
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009223:Myotonic Dystrophy / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010146:Pain / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*