A pilot investigation of muscle integrity in patients with ADSSL1 myopathy using electrical impedance myography

ADSSL1 myopathy (OMIM 617030) is a recently discovered, congenital myopathic disease caused by a pathogenic variant in ADSSL1. ADSSL1 is an enzyme involved in the purine nucleotide process and facilitates the conversion of inosine monophosphate to adenosine monophosphate within myocytes. Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a portable, non-invasive, and cost-effective method for characterizing muscle integrity. Three ADSSL1 patients are presented in whom characterization of muscle integrity using EIM was performed.

A 15-y-old male, 20-y-old female, and 63-y-old male each with a pathogenic variant in ADSSL1 [c.901G > A] as well as three, age-gender matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Study participants were phenotyped using a virtual EIM procedure.

ADSSL1 myopathy patients presented with variable onset of physical disability, disease progression, and severity of muscle weakness. Across multiple proximal and distal muscles groups and relative to HCs, ADSSL1 myopathy patients demonstrated lower phase and reactance values, while resistance was higher, which together indicated diseased muscle.

EIM can provide a novel, non-invasive and objective biomarker to evaluate muscle integrity in patients with ADSSL1 myopathy. Combining EIM with musculoskeletal imaging and histologic assessments in follow-up studies may further inform on the pathophysiology of ADSSL1 myopathy.