BACKGROUND Muscle injury may be caused by any one of a number of factors, including trauma, drugs, hyperthermia and metabolic derangement. Symptoms and signs are often non-specific, and myopathy may be easily overlooked. CASE An elderly woman was referred to hospital for investigation of rapidly declining mobility in the setting of anorexia and vomiting due to benign oesophageal stricture. Th...

A 32 year old woman with anorexia nervosa was admitted to hospital with severe hypocalcaemia and hypokalaemia that was refractory to replacement treatment but that responded immediately to an infusion of magnesium. She also had congestive cardiac failure that responded to magnesium replacement. The mild hypomagnesaemia found in this patient was responsible for the refractory hypocalcaemia. Mino...