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Nutritional assessment in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
T N Willig1, L Carlier, M Legrand
1Departement des Affaires Médicales, Association Française contre les Myopathies, Evry, France.
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
|December 1, 1993
Summary
Simple weight charts accurately diagnose undernutrition and obesity in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. This study confirms a specific DMD ideal-weight chart, finding obesity prevalent from age seven and undernutrition after age 14.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Clinical Nutrition
- Genetics
Background:
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive genetic disorder affecting muscle strength.
- Nutritional status, including undernutrition and obesity, is a significant concern in DMD management.
- Accurate anthropometric assessments are crucial for timely interventions in DMD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the accuracy of a specific weight-for-age chart for diagnosing nutritional status in DMD.
- To determine the prevalence and age of onset for undernutrition and obesity in a DMD cohort.
- To assess body fat distribution in obese DMD patients.
Main Methods:
- Collected weight-for-age data from 252 boys with DMD.
- Gathered anthropometric measurements from 109 DMD patients.
- Utilized a previously proposed DMD ideal-weight chart for analysis.
Main Results:
- The DMD ideal-weight chart accurately diagnoses undernutrition and obesity.
- Obesity can occur from age seven, reaching 54% prevalence by age 13.
- Undernutrition affects 54% of DMD boys after age 14, with onset around 18 years.
- Obese DMD boys exhibit centralized body-fat distribution.
Conclusions:
- Simple clinical tools and a specific weight chart are effective for nutritional assessment in DMD.
- Early identification of obesity and later undernutrition is critical for managing DMD.
- Findings support the use of the Griffiths and Edwards (1988) DMD ideal-weight chart.