What are the symptoms of hypothyroid myopathy?

What are the symptoms of hypothyroid myopathy? The most common symptoms include weakness around the hips and sometimes the shoulders, and a slowing of reflexes. Some people also experience muscle stiffness and painful muscle cramps. LIfe-threatening cases can cause rhabdomyolysis (acute muscle breakdown).

Does hypothyroid myopathy go away?

Hyperthyroid myopathy causes muscle weakness throughout the body that may rarely affect the muscles that control swallowing and breathing. Both types of myopathy improve with treatment of the underlying thyroid disease, but it can take time for symptoms to get better.

Can thyroid problems cause myopathy?

Thyrotoxic myopathy is a neuromuscular disorder that may accompany hyperthyroidism (Graves’ disease, caused by overproduction of the thyroid hormone thyroxine). Symptoms may include muscle weakness, myalgias (muscle tenderness), wasting of the pelvic girdle and shoulder muscles, fatigue, and/or heat intolerance.

How do you treat hypothyroidism myopathy?

Activities include walking, swimming, and stationary bicycling. Occupational therapy may be needed for training in the performance of activities of daily living (ADL) to enable the patient to compensate for proximal muscle weakness.

How do you test for hypothyroidism myopathy?

Hypothyroidism is a prerequisite for the diagnosis of hypothyroid myopathy and is diagnosed by measurement of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and T4 levels in the blood. Most common laboratory finding in the patients’ hypothyroid myopathy is the elevation of creatine kinase (CK) in the serum.

How long does it take to recover from hypothyroid myopathy?

Follow up. During treatment the complaints about weakness resolved in all patients within an average time of 3.6 months (SD 2.3); median: 2 months, which was shorter than the mean time to resolution of symptoms of hypothyroid patients (6.9 months, p<0.05, two tailedt test).

How common is hypothyroid myopathy?

Hypothyroid myopathy is fairly common but often missed because clinicians fail to ask patients about muscle-related symptoms. It is often mistaken for fatigue.

Can hypothyroidism cause weakness in legs?

It may also cause muscle weakness or loss of muscle control. See your doctor if you know or suspect you have hypothyroidism and you’re having troubling or painful symptoms in your limbs.

How do you test for myopathy?

Doctors use a blood test to look for elevated levels of a substance called creatine kinase, which is released into the bloodstream when muscle fibers deteriorate. Elevated levels may mean you have an inflammatory myopathy.

Can hypothyroidism cause neurological problems?

A variety of central and peripheral nervous system manifestations are common in patients with hypothyroidism (table 1). In many cases, the neurologic manifestations occur in conjunction with the systemic features of the disease and may be noted only incidentally.