title: Cardiac involvement in Becker's muscular dystrophy, necessitating heart transplantation, 6 years before apparent skeletal muscle involvement.
abstract: In Becker's muscular dystrophy cardiac abnormalities usually occur after onset of neuromuscular symptoms. We describe a Becker muscular dystrophy patient in whom chronic heart failure, necessitating cardiac transplantation, was the initial manifestation. Neuromuscular symptoms occurred not earlier than 6 years after the initial cardiac symptoms and 5 years after heart transplantation. In conclusion, severe heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy may be the initial manifestation of Becker's muscular dystrophy and may predate neuromuscular symptoms for years.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research in Epilepsy and Neuromuscular Disorders, Vienna, Austria. fij@2nr.nkr.magwien.gv.at
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Finsterer
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Bittner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grimm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000209:etiology; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors