The clinical features and response to cortisone of menopausal muscular dystrophy.

We describe here a form of myopathy which occurs predominantly in women during the climacteric period or after, and appears to have characteristic features. The condition has been largely overlooked in the past. Its recognition is of special importance since improvement may occur during treatment with wheat germ oil or cortisone. Our clinical experience is based upon a study of 12 patients, of whom 11 were women and one was a man. Six of the women were treated with wheat germ oil, and four showed notable improvement. The details are described in the preceding paper. Five patients, four women (two of them from the wheat germ oil series) and one man, have been tieated with cortisone, with dramatic improvement in all instances. Details of the trial of cortisone in various neuromuscular disorders have been described in a previous paper (Shy, Brendler, Rabinovitch, and McEachern, 1950). In this report we present the clinical features of this condition, together with pathological findings obtained by muscle biopsies. The use of maintenance doses of cortisone is also discussed. Little reference to this condition can be found in the literature. YNevin (1936) described two cases of late dystrophy which were undoubtedly of this type. He 'also reviewed the literature. Other probable cases are noted in the communication by Bramwell (1922). The cases of late myopathy described by Barnes (1932) may be different' 'They occurred in families in which other members showed myopathic disorders at an early age.