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MYOCARDIOPATHY IN DUCHENNE PROGRESSIVE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY
Author(s) -
LETH A.,
WULFF K.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1976.tb04403.x
Subject(s) - medicine , duchenne muscular dystrophy , muscular dystrophy , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , pediatrics
. In a retrospective study of hospital and autopsy records of 19 male subjects with the Duchenne type of progressive muscular dystrophy the incidence of cardiac involvement was found to be 84%. Patients with dystrophic involvement of the heart almost invariably develop heart failure; an early sign may be persistent tachycardia and, possibly, electrocardiographic changes, in case of which institution of digitalis treatment should be considered. Cardiac and pulmonary complications were equally frequent causes of death (42%) but, death from cardiac complication occurred only among the patients with dystrophic involvement of the myocardium. It is concluded that patients with Duchenne progressive muscular dystrophy very often develop cardiac complications, and when relating the available information on treatment to the autopsy findings it should be stressed that early and intensive therapy of the cardiac symptoms is of the greatest importance to the patient.