Myoglobin RIA in detecting carriers of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy

In a prospective study we evaluated myoglobin (MG) and serum creatine kinase (CK) levels in two groups of subjects different in age and carrier status. CK and MG values were significantly lower in the older group. Whereas both parameters fully coincided in the younger group, CK was detected in a higher number of carriers in the older group. MG was always kept within the limits of normality when CK values were normal. We conclude that simultaneous determination of CK and MG does not improve carrier detection rate, the behavior of both biological parameters is similar in the younger age, and CK is more effective than MG for this purpose in the older subjects.