A Possible Case of Centronuclear Myopathy: A Case Report.

Congenital myopathies (CMs) are a group of diseases that primarily affect the muscle fiber, especially the contractile apparatus and the different components that condition its normal functioning. They present as muscle weakness and hypotonia at birth or during the first year of life. Centronuclear CM is characterized by a high incidence of nuclei located centrally and internally in muscle fibers. Clinical case: a 22-year-old male patient with symptoms of muscle weakness since early childhood, with difficulty in performing physical activity according to his age, with the presence of a long face, a waddling gait, and a global decrease in muscle mass. Electromyography was performed, showing a neurogenic pattern and not the expected myopathic one, neuroconduction with reduced amplitude of the motor potential of the peroneal nerve and axonal and myelin damage of the posterior tibial nerves. The microscopic study of the studied striated muscle fragments stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's trichrome showed the presence of fibers with central nuclei, diagnosing CM. The patient meets most of the description for CM, with involvement of all striated muscles, although it is important to note the neurogenic pattern present in this case, due to the denervation of damaged muscle fibers, which contain terminal axonal segments. Neuroconduction shows the involvement of motor nerves, but with normal sensory studies, axonal polyneuropathy is unlikely, due to normal sensory potentials. Different pathological findings have been described depending on the mutated gene in this disease, but all coincide with the presence of fibers with central nuclei for diagnosis by this means, which is so important in institutions where it is not possible to carry out genetic studies, and allowing early specific treatment, according to the stage through which the patient passes.

Sobrecarga del cuidador y distrofia miotónica de Steinert tipo 1 / Caregiver overload and Steinert myotonic dystrophy type 1

Introducción: La distrofia miotónica tipo 1 es la distrofia muscular más frecuente a nivel mundial. Progresa lentamente llevando al paciente a la pérdida de autonomía lo que implica la necesidad del cuidador, quien con frecuencia, también padece la enfermedad. El síndrome de sobrecarga, desgaste o burnout, término en inglés muy utilizado en la bibliografía médica, se ha descrito en los últimos años para los cuidadores y es el desgaste emocional una de sus particularidades. Objetivo: Evaluar la autonomía para la realización de actividades diarias de los pacientes con distrofia miotónica tipo 1 en referencia al tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad y determinar la magnitud de desgaste en los cuidadores. Metodología: Se aplicó la escala de autonomía de Barthel a 29 pacientes y el cuestionario de Maslach a sus cuidadores. Resultados: Se demostró que las mujeres cuidadoras resultaron más afectadas en el intercambio con el enfermo para el cuidado, en la subescala despersonalización del instrumento Maslach (U de Mann-Whitney p = 0,05). Conclusiones: Se sugiere que los cuidadores femeninos son el grupo de mayor riesgo de padecer el síndrome de sobrecarga(AU)

Introduction: Myotonic dystrophy type 1 is the most common muscular dystrophy worldwide. It progresses slowly, depriving patients of their autonomy, which implies the need for a caregiver, who would often suffer from the disease as well. The overload or burnout syndrome, an English term very often found in medical bibliography, has been described for caregivers in recent years, and emotional wear is one of its features. Objective: Evaluate the autonomy to perform activities of daily living of patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 with reference to the time of evolution of the disease, and determine the extent of wear in caregivers. Methods: A study of a clinical case series was conducted for two years at the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Havana. Patients were evaluated with the Barthel autonomy scale and caregivers with the Maslach burnout syndrome inventory. Inclusion criteria admitted patients of both sexes clinically and neurophysiologically characterized for this diagnosis. It was also required to obtain the informed consent of patients and caregivers responding to the overload measuring tool. Exclusion criteria left out patients with a dystrophic condition other than Steinert type 1, inconclusive clinical and electromyographic evaluations, or not willing to participate in the study. Results: According to the depersonalization subscale in the Maslach tool (Mann-Whitney U p = 0.05), female caregivers are more often affected by the interaction with the person cared for. Conclusions: Results suggest that female caregivers are under a greater risk of overload syndrome(AU)