OCULOPHARYNGEAL MUSCULAR-DYSTROPHY IN URUGUAY

Within the last 30 years, sixty-five patients exhibiting the clinical symptoms of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) were studied at the Neuromuscular Diseases Unit of the Neurological Institute of Monte video. They are members of five unrelated families which came from the Canary Islands to Uruguay between 1850 and 1900. In the three familie s examined, the typical inclusions characteristic of OPMD were found i n the nuclei of muscle fibers. Treatment for ptosis and dysphagia was discussed. The particular migratory pattern of this group of patients could be of considerable interest in the study of molecular genetics. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.