Toxic myopathies: muscle biopsy features

Several drugs and toxic substances can cause muscular abnormalities and are frequent causes of acquired myopathies. We present a series of 32 patients, predominance of young adult patients, diagnosed with toxic myopathy. The most common substances inducing myopathy were corticosteroids (56.2%) followed by the propoxyphene, neuroleptics, zidovudine and drug-induced hypokalemia. The investigation showed normal serum creatine kinase levels in 65.4%, myopathic pattern of the needle electromyography in 40% and the more frequent histological diagnosis of the muscle biopsy was type 2 fiber atrophy (59.3%). Clinical features, etiology, course of the disease, serum levels of muscular enzymes, electromyographic features and, especially, muscle biopsy features are discussed.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Scola,Rosana Herminia, Pereira,Eduardo Rafael, Lorenzoni,Paulo José, Werneck,Lineu César
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Academia Brasileira de Neurologia - ABNEURO 2007
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2007000100018
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