— Pseudohypertrophy of the calves is most commonly related to muscular dystrophy and occasionally to endocrine disorders, chronic denervation, infection, or local tumors. A benign cause, not previously described, is reported as follows.
What causes calf muscle hypertrophy?
Calf enlargement may occur due to muscle infection such as in cysticercosis,4 infiltration by tumour or amyloidosis5 or by inflammation, as in myositis. 6 It is well known that it may occur in muscular dystrophies, particularly Duchenne and Becker types.
What is Pseudohypertrophic myopathy?
Pseudohypertrophic Myopathy is a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. Mutations interfere with the production of proteins needed to form healthy muscle. Symptoms begin in childhood, primarily in boys.
What is the most common neuromuscular disease?
The most common of these diseases is myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease where the immune system produces antibodies that attach themselves to the neuromuscular junction and prevent transmission of the nerve impulse to the muscle.
Is pseudohypertrophy normal?
The enlarged muscles feel doughy on palpation and are weaker than normal. The term “pseudohypertrophy” distinguishes this form of enlargement from real hypertrophy. The latter occurs after intensive use of muscles, as, for example, in weight lifters, and in certain diseases characterized by spasticity of muscles.
What is muscle pseudohypertrophy?
Pseudohypertrophy, muscular enlargement through deposition of fat rather than muscle fibre, occurs in other forms of muscular dystrophy, particularly the Duchenne type.
What is calf hypertrophy?
Calf hypertrophy is a typical clinical feature in neuromuscular diseases such as X-linked muscular dystrophies of Duchenne and Becker type and can be seen as an atypical feature in numerous other diseases. The diagnosis of calf hypertrophy usually is based on subjective visual assessment.
What is muscle Pseudohypertrophy?
What causes Hoffman syndrome?
Hoffman’s disease is a rare form of hypothyroid myopathy in which because of deposition of connective tissue there is proximal weakness and pseudohypertrophy of muscles. It seems most likely that thyroid deficiency affects muscle cells directly. Primary hypothyroidism accounts for 95% of cases of thyroid insufficiency.
What causes enlarged calves in Duchenne muscular dystrophy?
It is also common for boys with DMD to have enlarged calves. This is due to scar tissue build-up in muscles, and muscle tissue being replaced by fat and connective tissue. Once boys with DMD do begin to walk, their movements may seem awkward.
What is pseudohypertrophy of the calves?
Pseudohypertrophy of the calves HPO: HP:0003707 Definition Enlargement of the muscles of the calf due to their replacement by connective tissue or fat. [from HPO] Term Hierarchy GTR MeSH CClinical test, RResearch test, OOMIM, GGeneReviews, VClinVar CROGVCalf muscle pseudohypertrophy Phenotypic abnormality Abnormality of limbs
How is calf hypertrophy diagnosed in neuromuscular diseases?
The diagnosis of calf hypertrophy usually is based on subjective visual assessment. The aim of this prospective study was to examine the prevalence of calf hypertrophy in a large number of patients with various neuromuscular diseases based on quantitative ultrasound measurement of calf muscle thickness.
What is denervation pseudohypertrophy?
Denervation pseudohypertrophy is characterized by muscle enlargement due to prominent accumulation and interspersion of fat in between muscle fibers, instead of hypertrophy of muscle fibers. It is the result of partial denervation of muscle and may be associated with various causes of muscle denervation.
What causes pseudohypertrophic muscle enlargement?
Pseudohypertrophic muscles are frequently paradoxically weak. Recognising such a clinical clue at the bed side can facilitate a diagnosis or at least can narrow down the list of potential suspects. This paper outlines the conditions, both myopathic and neurogenic, that cause muscle enlargement.
