Drug-Induced Toxic and Nutritional Myopathies

Abstract

With the exception of steroid myopathy, which is almost invariably iatrogenic (Swash and Schwartz 1983a) (see Chap. 18), drug-induced myopathies are relatively rare. Muscle is thus relatively less susceptible to drug effects than peripheral nerve (see Chap. 11). The most useful, practical classification of drug-induced myopathies is by mode of clinical presentation. This approach was adopted by Lane and Mastaglia (1978). The diversity of the syndromes tends to lead to a complex classification (Kakulas and Mastaglia 1992) but this overlaps with diseases having a recognised metabolic basis in which drug effects play a causative role, e.g. malignant hyperpyrexia (Table 19.1). These syndromes to some extent overlap.