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Mitochondrial dysfunction in adult-onset myopathies with structural abnormalities

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Abstract

Three patients with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia of adult-onset, generalized muscle atrophy and myalgia are described. Two patients fulfilled the histological criteria for centronuclear myopathy, the third those for fiber-type disproportion. Additionally, typical ragged red fibers were found in all muscle specimens, and several muscle fibers were cytochrome c oxidase negative. NADH and succinate dehydrogenase stains showed increased subsarcolemmal accumulation of mitochondria. To determine whether these findings are coincidental or whether they indicated an additional mitochondrial disorder, all patients were investigated using biochemical analysis of the respiratory chain, molecular genetics, magnetic resonance spectroscopy of quadriceps muscle and ergometry. These tests suggested an additional mitochondrial dysfunction. Mitochondrial dysfunction seems to be more common in this group of myopathies than previously estimated, and may be of importance in the pathogenesis of these disorders.

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Part of this work was supported by the Deutsche forschungsgemeinschaft (Re 265/8-2). Authors are grateful to Professor Schröder, University of Aachen, for neuropathological examination of case 3

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Naumann, M., Reiners, K., Gold, R. et al. Mitochondrial dysfunction in adult-onset myopathies with structural abnormalities. Acta Neuropathol 89, 152–157 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00296359

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00296359

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