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McArdle's disease presenting with asymmetric, late‐onset arm weakness
Author(s) -
Wolfe Gil I.,
Baker Noel S.,
Haller Ronald G.,
Burns Dennis K.,
Barohn Richard J.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4598(200004)23:4<641::aid-mus25>3.0.co;2-m
Subject(s) - myoglobinuria , myalgia , medicine , exercise intolerance , weakness , muscle biopsy , myopathy , muscle weakness , proximal muscle weakness , muscle cramp , cardiology , rhabdomyolysis , creatine kinase , physical therapy , surgery , biopsy , heart failure
McArdle's disease or myophosphorylase deficiency is one of the most common muscle glycogenoses and typically presents in childhood or adolescence with exercise intolerance, myalgia, myoglobinuria, and cramps in exercising muscle. We describe an elderly man who developed asymmetric proximal arm weakness at age 73. He had no history of exercise‐induced cramps, myalgias, or myoglobinuria. Creatine kinase levels were elevated, serum lactate did not rise on ischemic exercise testing, and muscle biopsy showed a vacuolar myopathy with absent myophosphorylase activity. This unusual case demonstrates that McArdle's disease may present with fixed, asymmetric proximal weakness at an advanced age and should be considered in this clinical setting, especially when a history of poor exercise tolerance can be elicited. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 23: 641–645, 2000.