title: Myopathies of endocrine disorders: A prospective clinical and biochemical study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  MAJOR CATEGORIES OF ENDOCRINE MYOPATHY INCLUDE THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH: Adrenal dysfunction (as in Cushing's disease or steroid myopathy); thyroid dysfunction (as in myxedema coma or thyrotoxic myopathy); vitamin D deficiency; parathyroid dysfunction; and pituitary dysfunction. Steroid myopathy is the most common endocrine myopathy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the etiology, varied presentations, and outcome after therapy of patients with endocrine myopathies.
  
  
  METHODS
  MYOPATHY WAS EVALUATED BY THE STANDARD CLINICAL PROCEDURES: Detailed clinical history, manual muscle strength testing, and creatine phosphokinase (CPK). Endocrine disorders were diagnosed as per clinical features and biochemical parameters. The treatment was given to patients as per underlying endocrine disease. Myopathy was assessed before and after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 37 patients who were diagnosed with endocrine myopathies, thyroid dysfunction was the most common cause (17 cases), followed by vitamin D deficiency in nine, adrenal dysfunction in six, parathyroid dysfunction in three, and pituitary dysfunction in two. Some patients had atypical presentation (repeated falls in one, tongue fasciculations in one, neck weakness in five, one with ptosis and facial weakness, asymmetrical onset in one, and calf hypertrophy in one. The serum creatine kinase (CK) concentration did not correlate with muscle weakness. Following the treatment regimen which was specific for a given myopathy, 26 patients recovered fully.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found varied clinical presentations of endocrine myopathies. All the patients with neuromuscular complaints should be investigated for endocrine causes because significant number of them recovers fully with specific treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam, India.
authors.forename: Vikas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam, India.
authors.forename: Papori
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Borah
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam, India.
authors.forename: Lakshya J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Basumatary
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam, India.
authors.forename: Marami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam, India.
authors.forename: Munindra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goswami
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam, India.
authors.forename: Ashok K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Kayal
keywords: Endocrine; myopathy; reversible