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Myopathy during amiodarone treatment: a case report

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Abstract

The case of a 69-year-old woman who developed muscle weakness on chronic amiodarone treatment is reported. Muscle biopsy showed vacuolar alterations and a marked accumulation of amiodarone and of its metabolite desethylamiodarone was found in the muscle sample despite normal blood levels. Amiodarone-induced morphological alterations of the muscle may be related to the actual tissue concentration rather than to the blood level.

Sommario

Viene presentato il caso di una donna di 69 anni che sviluppò una diffusa ipostenia muscolare durante trattamento cronico con amiodarone. La biopsia muscolare dimostrò alterazioni vacuolari nelle fibre e fu riscontrato un marcato accumulo di amiodarone e del suo metabolita disetilamiodarone nel muscolo nonostante valori ematici normali. Si avanza l'ipotesi che le alterazioni muscolari indotte dall'amiodarone siano correlabili alle concentrazioni tissutali piuttosto che ai livelli ematici.

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Carella, F., Riva, E., Morandi, L. et al. Myopathy during amiodarone treatment: a case report. Ital J Neuro Sci 8, 603–608 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02333668

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02333668

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