Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Functional Characterization of Endogenously Expressed Human RYR1 Variants
Published on: June 9, 2021
Understanding Symptoms in RYR1-Related Myopathies: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Based on Participants' Experience
Carlos Capella-Peris1, Mary M Cosgrove2, Irene C Chrismer2
1Neuromuscular Symptoms Unit, Tissue Injury Branch, National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, Building 60, Room 254, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. carlos.capellaperis@mail.nih.gov.
Background:
In rare diseases such as ryanodine receptor 1-related myopathies (RYR1-RM), health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures are critically important so clinicians and researchers can better understand what symptoms are most important to participants, with the ultimate goal of finding tangible solutions for them.
Objectives:
The main objective of this study was to characterize symptoms in individuals with RYR1-RM to inform future research. A secondary objective of this study was to analyze positive and negative sentiments regarding symptoms and treatment effects post N-acetylcysteine (NAC) administration in individuals with RYR1-RM.
Methods:
The study used a mixed-methods design applying methodological triangulation. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews at three visits to characterize symptoms in individuals with RYR1-RM and to analyze treatment effects. Qualitative data were then transformed into quantitative results to measure the frequency with which each symptom was mentioned by participants.
Results:
A total of 12 symptoms were identified as areas of interest to participants with RYR1-RM, highlighting fatigue and weakness as key symptoms. Data transformation categorized more than 1000 citations, reporting a greater number of positive comments for postintervention interviews than for baseline and preintervention visits and that NAC group participants stated more positive comments regarding treatment effect than did the placebo group.
Conclusions:
We present a comprehensive characterization of symptoms in RYR1-RM and how those symptoms influence HRQoL. Furthermore, the introduction of mixed methods may be a valuable way to better understand patient-centered data in rare diseases to support affected individuals in coping with their symptoms.
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