Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 3, 2026
Home-Based Monitor for Gait and Activity Analysis
Published on: August 8, 2019
Use of a wearable device to assess sleep and motor function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Benjamin I Siegel1, Ayse Cakmak2, Erik Reinertsen3
1Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Introduction:
Rest-activity disruption is an important feature of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). We sought to describe sleep impairment and its relationship to quality of life (QOL) and to evaluate associations between rest-activity, sleep quality, and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in DMD.
Methods:
Sleep impairment and its relationship to QOL was assessed by questionnaire in 54 children (33 ambulatory, 21 nonambulatory) with DMD. Rest-activity characteristics were calculated for 23 of these children (14 ambulatory, nine nonambulatory) by actigraphy.
Results:
Pathologic sleep was reported in 11 (20%) participants and correlated with lower QOL but not with ambulatory status. In ambulatory participants who completed actigraphy, rest-activity rhythm fragmentation was associated with subjective sleep impairment. Habitual daytime activity level was associated with 6MWT performance.
Discussion:
Children with DMD experience substantial sleep impairment that is related to QOL. Wrist actigraphy may be a parsimonious tool for monitoring both sleep and motor impairment in ambulatory children with DMD.
