Medical Questions » Muscles, Tendons, Ligaments Questions » Question No. 701
| Question: | I am worried that a relative in her late 60s may have progressive muscular atrophy. What are its initial symptoms and how do you diagnose it? Is there any treatment available? How should she cope with the disease? |
| Answer: | There are several different types of muscle wasting that may occur in older people. These vary from the mild wasting that is associated with ageing to serious conditions such a dermatomyositis (where a rash accompanies the muscle wasting), polymyositis (multiple bundles of muscles that weaken), and inclusion body myositis (progressive weakness of the arms and legs). Very rarely does the weakness affect the chest, heart or abdomen.
These disorders can only be diagnosed by a combination of clinical examination, blood tests, measurement of muscle electrical activity (electro-myelogram—EMG) and biopsy (surgical sampling) of an affected muscle.
Once the exact diagnosis is determined, specific treatment can be given in some cases, but unfortunately, in many cases, there is no treatment available, and the condition is slowly progressive over many years.
Physiotherapy to strengthen the remaining muscle function may be helpful in some cases, but encouraging your friend to remain as active as possible is probably the main treatment.
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