[Myopathies in endocrine disorders].

Disorders of the thyroid gland, the parathyroids and adrenals may cause muscle dysfunction. The following features seem to be typical for most of these endocrine myopathies: 1. Usually proximal limb muscles, i.e. pelvic and/or shoulder girdle musculatur, are involved. - 2. Even in cases with severe clinical symptoms morphological abnormalities of the muscles are relatively mild, suggesting that these disorders are mainly functional ones. - 3. The myopathies usually resolve completely with effective treatment of the underlying endocrine disorder. - The pathogenetic mechanisms involved largely remain uncertain. Objective myopathy may be one of the early and dominant features of disorders of the thyroid gland, the parathyroids and adrenals. These endocrine abnormalities have therefore to be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of muscle disorders in childhood.