Myopathy
Myopathy is a term that means any disturbance of muscle function arising from the muscle itself rather than as a result of disorder in the associated nerve. There are many causes: inherited diseases such as the muscular dystrophies (see above) cause the muscle fibres to be replaced by fatty deposits, or to shrink; any viral infection can cause inflammation of muscles - (we ache when we have ‘flu’). Auto-immune diseases such as Polymyalgia rheumatica (see myalgia in muscles and nerves) cause pain and weakness in muscles of the neck, shoulders and back, while drugs such as certain steroids can cause weakness and wasting of the muscles of the limbs - called proximal myopathy.
Besides being a result of disease affecting the muscles themselves it can be a feature of other disorders such as thyroid disease or diabetes mellitus. The treatment is that of the underlying cause, should that be possible.
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