Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2014 Jan 6;7(1):2.
doi: 10.1186/1755-7682-7-2.

Hoffmann syndrome: a case report

Hemal Ms Senanayake  1 , Anujaya D Dedigama, Randil P De Alwis, Kanapathipillai Thirumavalavan
Affiliations
Case Reports

Hoffmann syndrome: a case report

Hemal Ms Senanayake et al. Int Arch Med. .

Abstract

Hoffmann syndrome is a rare form of hypothyroid myopathy in adults characterized by presence of muscle weakness, stiffness and pseudohypertrophy. We report a 39 year old male with primary hypothyroidism diagnosed at childhood and not on regular thyroxine therapy who presented with fatigue, cold intolerance, constipation, exertional breathlessness, progressive proximal muscle weakness and swelling of the legs for one year. Examination revealed pseudohypertrophy of calf muscles with marked symmetrical proximal upper and lower limb weakness. His TSH and Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels were significantly elevated and electromyography (EMG) was compatible with myopathic disorder. After institution of thyroxine therapy his weakness improved markedly and pseudohypertrophy regressed in two months. We report this case because of its rarity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pseudoypertrophy of calf muscles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Udayakumar N, Rameshkumar AC, Sirinivasan AV. Hoffmann syndrome: presentation in hypothyroidism. J Postgrad Med. 2005;51(4):332–333. - PubMed
    1. Vasconcellos LFR, Peixoto MC, Oliveira TND, Penque G, Leite ACC. Hoffmann syndrome: pseudohypertrophic myopathy as initial manifestation of hypothyroidism. Arq Neuropsiquiatr. 2003;61(3-B):851–854. - PubMed
    1. Aleem MA, Paramasivam M, Samson TA. Hoffmann Syndrome. JAPI. 2004;52:889. - PubMed
    1. Tuncel D, Cetinkaya A, Kaya B, Gokce M. Hoffmann’s syndrome: a case report. Med Princ Pract. 2008;17:346–348. doi: 10.1159/000129619. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Qureshi W, Hassan G, Khan GQ, Kadri SM, Kak M. et al.Hoffmann’s syndrome: a case report. Ger Med Sci. 2005;03:1–4. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources