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Muscular disease in which the muscle fibers do not function correctly From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In medicine, myopathy is a disease of the muscle[1] in which the muscle fibers do not function properly. Myopathy means muscle disease (Greek : myo- muscle + patheia -pathy : suffering). This meaning implies that the primary defect is within the muscle, as opposed to the nerves ("neuropathies" or "neurogenic" disorders) or elsewhere (e.g., the brain).
Myopathy | |
---|---|
Other names | Muscle disease |
Specialty | Rheumatology, Neuromuscular medicine |
This muscular defect typically results in myalgia (muscle pain), muscle weakness (reduced muscle force), or premature muscle fatigue (initially normal, but declining muscle force). Muscle cramps, stiffness, spasm, and contracture can also be associated with myopathy. Myopathy experienced over a long period (chronic) may result in the muscle becoming an abnormal size, such as muscle atrophy (abnormally small) or a pseudoathletic appearance (abnormally large).
Capture myopathy can occur in wild or captive animals, such as deer and kangaroos, and leads to morbidity and mortality.[2] It usually occurs as a result of stress and physical exertion during capture and restraint.
Muscular disease can be classified as neuromuscular or musculoskeletal in nature. Some conditions, such as myositis, can be considered both neuromuscular and musculoskeletal. Different myopathies may be inherited, infectious, non-communicable, or idiopathic (cause unknown). The disease may be isolated to affecting only muscle (pure myopathy), or may be part of a systemic disease as is typical in mitochondrial myopathies.
Common symptoms include muscle weakness, cramps, stiffness, and tetany.[citation needed]
Myopathies in systemic disease results from several different disease processes including endocrine, inflammatory, paraneoplastic, infectious, drug- and toxin-induced, critical illness myopathy, metabolic, collagen related,[3] and myopathies with other systemic disorders. Patients with systemic myopathies often present acutely or sub acutely. On the other hand, familial myopathies or dystrophies generally present in a chronic fashion with exceptions of metabolic myopathies where symptoms on occasion can be precipitated acutely. Metabolic myopathies, which affect the production of ATP within the muscle cell, typically present with dynamic (exercise-induced) rather than static symptoms.[4] Most of the inflammatory myopathies can have a chance association with malignant lesion; the incidence appears to be specifically increased only in patients with dermatomyositis.[5]
There are many types of myopathy. ICD-10 codes are provided here where available.
The Food and Drug Administration is recommending that physicians restrict prescribing high-dose Simvastatin (Zocor, Merck) to patients, given an increased risk of muscle damage. The FDA drug safety communication stated that physicians should limit using the 80-mg dose unless the patient has already been taking the drug for 12 months and there is no evidence of myopathy. "Simvastatin 80 mg should not be started in new patients, including patients already taking lower doses of the drug," the agency states.
At birth
Onset in childhood
Onset in adulthood[5]
Because different types of myopathies are caused by many different pathways, there is no single treatment for myopathy. Treatments range from treatment of the symptoms to very specific cause-targeting treatments. Drug therapy, physical therapy, bracing for support, surgery, and massage are all current treatments for a variety of myopathies.[citation needed]
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