|
|
|
|
The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS)was identified in 1981,and the search for the etiologic agent led to the discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV).The clinical manifestations of HIV infection are protean,with involvement of all major organ systems including skeletal muscles.The first approved drug to demonstrate clinical efficacy in HIV- associated disease is zidovudine(formerly azidothymidine[AZT]).To date,up to 15,000 patients worldwide have received zidovudine,which has considerable toxicity including macrocytic anemia,neutropenia,and various constitutional symptoms[1].In 1988,the first report of a polymyositis-like syndrome possibly associated with zidovudine was published[2].We have recently observed two patients who developed severe myopathy while receiving zidovudine for HIV-associated illness.In both patients,the myopathy was temporally related to zidovudine administration.The clinical, serologic,and histologic features of these two cases are summarized. |
|