A Failure to Relax: Case of Myotonia in a 31-Year-Old Man

In 2007, a 31-year-old Caucasian man was reported to have presented to the hospital with weakness in his arms and legs, six weeks after sustaining burns to his right hand. His medical history included hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, androgenic alopecia, and abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed a slim male with frontal alopecia and wasted facial and proximal limb muscles. His reflexes were preserved, and sensation was intact. However, his hand grip relaxation was delayed, a condition known as myotonia. His haematological and biochemistry tests were unremarkable, but left ventricular hypertrophy and lateral T wave inversion were present on the electrocardiogram.