Spontaneous bilateral rupture of the Achilles tendon in an elderly woman undergoing prednisone pulse therapy with a history of polymyalgia rheumatica

An 83-year-old woman presented at the neurology out-patient clinic with acute bilateral weakness of the calf muscles that had lasted for a few weeks. Ultrasound and MRI evaluation of the Achilles tendons revealed bilateral ruptures. Possible predisposing factors included treatment with prednisone pu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde Vol. 150; no. 39; p. 2155
Main Authors de Wolf, M M, van der Krans, A, Frijns, C J M
Format Journal Article
LanguageDutch
Published Netherlands 30.09.2006
Subjects
Achilles Tendon - injuries
Achilles Tendon - surgery
Aged, 80 and over
Female
Glucocorticoids - adverse effects
Glucocorticoids - therapeutic use
Humans
Polymyalgia Rheumatica - drug therapy
Prednisone - adverse effects
Prednisone - therapeutic use
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - drug therapy
Rupture, Spontaneous
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:An 83-year-old woman presented at the neurology out-patient clinic with acute bilateral weakness of the calf muscles that had lasted for a few weeks. Ultrasound and MRI evaluation of the Achilles tendons revealed bilateral ruptures. Possible predisposing factors included treatment with prednisone pulse therapy for obstructive pulmonary disease and prior polymyalgia rheumatica. Surgical reconstruction of the tendons resulted in a major clinical improvement. Rupture of the Achilles tendons can occur spontaneously, and sometimes bilaterally. A predisposing factor is present in nearly every case of spontaneous bilateral rupture of the Achilles tendons. As in spontaneous unilateral ruptures, the most frequently described predisposing factor is the use of corticosteroids or quinolones.
ISSN:0028-2162