Renal dysfunction can occur in advanced-stage Duchenne muscular dystrophy

With improved treatments, patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) can survive far beyond adolescence. However, advanced-stage DMD patients are at risk of developing renal dysfunction. In this study, long-term renal function outcomes and associated risk factors in advanced stage DMD were analyzed.

Fifty-one patients were classified into three different age groups (<20, 20-29, and ≥30 years of age), and cystatin C (CysC) levels were compared among groups.

Median serum CysC levels were 0.74 mg/L, 0.63 mg/L, and 0.76 mg/L in the age groups of <20, 20-29, and ≥30 years, respectively (P = .003). Five of the nine patients in the ≥30 years age group showed elevated serum CysC and decreased cardiac function compared with the other four in the group (P = .014).

Our results indicate an association between cardiac and renal dysfunction in patients with advanced-stage DMD.