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A case of polymyositis complicated with myasthenic crisis

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Abstract

We report a 62-year-old woman who suffered from polymyositis (PM) complicated with myasthenic crisis. Electromyography and muscle biopsy indicated a diagnosis of PM; however, respiratory failure due to respiratory muscle weakness was seen in spite of a normal serum creatine kinase (CK) level. The positive anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody led us to the diagnosis of myasthenic crisis. PM with respiratory muscle weakness is rare. We suggest that the possibility of other neurological disorder complications should be considered when PM patients have respiratory muscle weakness out of proportion to the serum CK level.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan

    Yoshito Yoshidome, Shinji Morimoto, Naoto Tamura, Shigeto Kobayashi, Hiroshi Tsuda, Hiroshi Hashimoto & Yoshinari Takasaki

  2. Department of Neurology and Geriatrics, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, 890-8520, Japan

    Yoshito Yoshidome

Authors
  1. Yoshito Yoshidome
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  2. Shinji Morimoto
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  3. Naoto Tamura
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  4. Shigeto Kobayashi
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  5. Hiroshi Tsuda
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  6. Hiroshi Hashimoto
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  7. Yoshinari Takasaki
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Correspondence to Yoshito Yoshidome.

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Yoshidome, Y., Morimoto, S., Tamura, N. et al. A case of polymyositis complicated with myasthenic crisis. Clin Rheumatol 26, 1569–1570 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-006-0459-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-006-0459-z

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