title: Becker muscular dystrophy: detection of unusual disease courses by combined approach to dystrophin analysis.
abstract: The rapid progress of research on the structure of the dystrophin gene has enormously increased our understanding of the molecular basis of Duchenne (DMD) and Becker (BMD) muscular dystrophy. Apart from "classical" clinical presentations, asymptomatic or only mildly affected individuals with deletions in the dystrophin gene have now been reported. We describe two families which were initially classified as metabolic myopathies, until the diagnosis of atypical BMD was established after dystrophin analysis at the protein and DNA level. A modern diagnostic approach to myopathies should, therefore, not only include morphological and biochemical investigations, but also be extended to the analysis of the dystrophin gene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Würzburg, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kress
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meurers
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Reichmann
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D016189:Dystrophin / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D016189:Dystrophin