Acute Myositis with Myoglobinuria

Abstract

Myositis is inflammation of a voluntary muscle, with muscle pain, tenderness, swelling, and or weakness. The causes of Myositis include infection and autoimmune conditions. We report here two male children from neighbouring districts of South India, who presented three weeks apart, with persistent Myositis and myoglobinuria of subacute onset. The near simultaneous presentation and the non specific vacuolar changes on muscle histopathology made an infective etiology likely. Both the cases recovered completely with Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg), leaving no residual disease and no renal involvement in spite of gross myoglobinuria. The cases are noteworthy as no published literature on non immune Myositis that recovered completely with IVIg could be located. This report is evidence to show that Myositis can be non self limiting and disabling, unless given specific treatment.