Steroid-responsive myalgia in a patient with Becker muscular dystrophy

We report a male patient with exercise-induced focal myalgia in the leg muscles. Dystrophin immunostaining of a biopsied muscle specimen from the patient showed the absence of or only faint immunoreactivity in 20% of the muscle fibers. The patient was diagnosed as having Becker muscular dystrophy. The myalgia was intractable and did not respond to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The patient was placed on prednisone and found to be sensitive to it. Although he had recurrences of the symptom during tapering of the steroid, slower tapering over one year was tolerated. Steroid treatment may be useful for other Becker muscular dystrophy patients with myalgia.