Muscular Dystrophy: A Retrospective Evaluation of 15 Cases

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and laboratory findings of patients followed up with a diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

This retrospective study included 15 boys diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the Pediatric Neurology Department between July 2008 and July 2016. The presenting symptoms; level of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and creatine kinase (CK); ophthalmological findings; echocardiography (ECHO) results; findings on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); genetic analysis results; and muscular biopsy findings were evaluated.

The mean age of the patients was 5.2±2.3 years (range: 11 months-8 years) and the mean age at the onset of DMD was 4.1±2.2 years (range: 10 months-6 years). The ALT level ranged between 67 and 527 IU/L, the AST between 44 and 455 IU/L, and the CK between 931 and 19,595 IU/L. The genetic analysis determined deletions in 12 (80%) and duplications in 2 (13%) patients.

Parents with a DMD-affected child should be provided with genetic counseling in order to make decisions about future pregnancies.