title: Juvenile muscular atrophy of the distal upper extremity (hirayama disease) in two lanky look-alike brothers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Juvenile muscular atrophy of the distal upper extremity (Hirayama disease) is a sporadic disorder, but very rarely occurs in a familial pattern.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the clinical features of Hirayama disease in 2 brothers, especially the look-alike anatomic physiques and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case report.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two physically look-alike young brothers with Hirayama disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical symptoms of the present brothers were consistent with those of sporadic cases. Their lanky physique, clinical features, and MRI findings looked alike to each other.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pathogenesis of familial Hirayama disease is not well understood. The present brothers looked alike in terms of their physical frame and clinical symptoms. These findings suggest that similar mechanical damage against the cervical spinal cord by look-alike anatomic frame of the neck could be an important factor of familial Hirayama disease in the present brothers.
authors: Department of Neurology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu-City, Mie Prefecture, Japan. hkajikawa@sch.miekosei.or.jp
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Kajikawa
authors: Yasumasa
authors: Y
authors: Kokubo
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Taniguchi
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Naito
authors: Shigeki
authors: S
authors: Kuzuhara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D040582:Inheritance Patterns / Q000235:genetics; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009133:Muscular Atrophy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010641:Phenotype; D035781:Siblings; D013008:Somatotypes / Q000235:genetics; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult