is a very broad term that encompasses many
Disease s and ailments that either directly (via intrinsic
Muscle pathology) or indirectly (animal muscle in general.
Neuromuscular diseases are those that affect the muscles and/or their nervous control. In general, problems with nervous control can cause
Spasticity or
Paralysis , depending on the location and nature of the problem. A large proportion of
Neurological Disorder s leads to problems with movement, ranging from
Cerebrovascular Accident (stroke) and
Parkinson's Disease to
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease .
Symptoms of muscle disease may include
Weakness or
Spasticity /rigidity,
Myoclonus (twitching, spasming) and
Myalgia (muscle pain). Diagnostic procedures that may reveal muscular disorders include testing
Creatine Kinase levels in the blood and
Electromyography (measuring electrical activity in muscles).
Diseases of the
Motor End Plate include
Myasthenia Gravis , a form of muscle weakness due to
Antibodies to the
Acetylcholine receptor, and its related condition
Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS).
Tetanus and
Botulism are
Bacterial Infection s in which bacterial toxins cause increased or decreased muscle tone, respectively.
The
Myopathies are all diseases affecting the muscle itself, rather than its nervous control.
Muscular Dystrophy is a large group of diseases, many of them
Hereditary , where the muscle integrity is disrupted. It leads to progressive loss of strength, high dependence and decreased life span.
Rhabdomyolysis is the breakdown of muscular tissue due to any cause. While it may not lead to any muscular symptoms at all, the
Myoglobin thus released may cause
Acute Renal Failure .
Tumor s of muscle include:
Smooth muscle has been implicated to play a role in a large number of diseases affecting
Blood Vessel s, the
Respiratory Tract (e.g.,
Asthma ), the
Digestive System (e.g.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome ) and the
Urinary Tract (e.g.,
Urinary Incontinence ). These disease processes are not usually confined to the muscular tissue.
Injuries of muscles include
Wound s and
Strain s.
