Intranuclear rod myopathy

Intranuclear rod myopathy is a disorder that primarily affects skeletal muscles, which are muscles that the body uses for movement. People with intranuclear rod myopathy have severe muscle weakness (myopathy) and poor muscle tone (hypotonia) throughout the body. Signs and symptoms of this condition are apparent in infancy and include feeding and swallowing difficulties, a weak cry, and difficulty with controlling head movements. Affected babies are sometimes described as "floppy" and may be unable to move on their own.

The severe muscle weakness that occurs in intranuclear rod myopathy also affects the muscles used for breathing. Individuals with this disorder may take shallow breaths (hypoventilate), especially during sleep, resulting in a shortage of oxygen and a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood. Frequent respiratory infections and life-threatening breathing difficulties can occur. Because of the respiratory problems, most affected individuals do not survive past infancy. Those who do survive have delayed development of motor skills such as sitting, crawling, standing, and walking.

The name intranuclear rod myopathy comes from characteristic abnormal rod-shaped structures that can be seen in the nucleus of muscle cells when muscle tissue is viewed under a microscope.