Recovery of systolic dysfunction in duchenne muscular dystrophy due to the point mutation c.4213C>T

So far, a beneficial effect of combined angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and β-blocker therapy for systolic dysfunction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) has been reported only in patients in whom DMD was due to deletions in the dystrophin gene.

In a 24-year-old male with DMD due to the point mutation c.4213C>T (p.Gln1405X) in exon 30 of the dystrophin gene, cardiologic examination at the age of 23 years revealed asymptomatic severely reduced systolic dysfunction with a fractional shortening of 14% in the absence of dilated cardiomyopathy. A combined therapy with enalapril (2.5 mg/day) and bisoprolol (1.25 mg/day) was initiated. After a slow increase in the dosage to 10 mg enalapril/day and 2.5 mg bisoprolol/day, systolic dysfunction resolved to a fractional shortening of 26% already after 7 months.

This case shows that asymptomatic reduced systolic function also in patients with DMD due to a point mutation responds favourably to a combination therapy with ACEI and β-blockers.