Muscle: Major Pathologies

There are approximately 650 named skeletal muscles in the human body. Some pathologies that can alter the function of muscle include injury to the muscle, nerves, or blood vessels; infections; tumors; effects of certain medications; abnormal neuromuscular function; storage abnormalities; organelle dysfunction; compression; defective genes; and aging. Muscular disorders can affect mobility, and they may also result in the inability to breathe, swallow, or speak. Myopathies can be further classified in inflammatory muscle disorders, tumors, neuromuscular junction disorders, muscular dystrophies, motor neuron diseases, autoimmune disorders, mitochondrial pathologies, and storage diseases, among others.