Abstract
Clinical, biochemical, electromyographic, and pathological studies of neuromuscular function were carried out in a group of eleven acromegalics. Mild proximal muscle weakness was present in six cases and serum-levels of creatine phosphokinase were elevated in five. The average mean action potential duration in the deltoid and rectus femoris muscles in the acromegalics was significantly shorter than in a group of controls. Histological changes were present in five of nine biopsy specimens taken from a proximal limb muscle and histochemical stains showed hypertrophy of both type-I and type-II muscle fibres. Electron microscopy showed enlargement of sarcolemmal nuclei and satellite cells, considerable amounts of glycogen and lipofuscin, and, in 1 case, membrane configurations possibly derived from degenerating mitochondria. The findings indicate that the proximal muscles of acromegalics are commonly the site of a patchy myopathic process which is probably the basis for the muscular symptoms in this condition but which may be asymptomatic.
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