OVERVIEW
This page is dedicated to organizing various examples of standardized exam questions whose answer is myotonic dystrophy. While this may seem a odd practice, it is useful to see multiple examples of how myotonic dystrophy will be characterized on standardized exams (namely the boards and the shelf exams). This page is not meant to be used as a tradition question bank (as all of the answers will be the same), however seeing the classic “test” characterization for a disease is quite valuable.
QUESTION EXAMPLES
Question # 1
A 5 year old girl is brought to the clinic because of intermittent muscle cramping that has been occurring for the past 4 months. The episodes last from a couple of seconds to a few minutes. They are relived by gentle massage and other comfort measures. She has had mild developmental motor delay since birth, however physical, occupational, and speech therapy has helped improve her skills. Her father has a similar condition, where he experiences muscle cramping after exercising or heavy lifting. The patient is awake and alert upon physical exam. A neurological exam shows mild muscle weakness distally, normal deep tendon reflexes, and no Babinksi sign bilaterally. She has difficulty relaxing her grip after squeezing the clinician’s fingers. She is able to answer questions correctly, but has marked impaired enunciation. What is the likely diagnosis in this patient?
Explanation: difficulty relaxing grip = myotonic dystrophy
Page Updated: 11.08.2016