What are mitochondrial myopathies?

Just as some diseases are named for the part of the body they affect (like heart disease), mitochondrial diseases are so named because they affect a specific part of the cells in the body. Specifically, mitochondrial diseases affect the mitochondria — tiny energy factories found inside almost all our cells.

A mitochondrial disease that causes prominent muscular problems is called a mitochondrial myopathy (myo means muscle, and pathos means disease), while a mitochondrial disease that causes both prominent muscular and neurological problems is called a mitochondrial encephalomyopathy (encephalo refers to the brain). See Types of Mitochondrial Myopathies for more on nine specific mitochondrial diseases.