title: Cardiac abnormalities in a follow-up study on carriers of Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cardiac involvement has been reported in carriers of dystrophin mutations giving rise to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). The progress of these abnormalities during long-term follow-up is unknown. We describe the long-term follow-up of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in DMD/BMD carriers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A long-term follow-up study was performed among Dutch DMD/BMD carriers first analyzed in 1995. A cardiac history was taken, and all carriers were assigned a functional score to assess skeletal muscle involvement. Electrocardiography and M-mode and 2-D echocardiography were performed. DCM was defined as an enlarged left ventricle with a global left ventricle dysfunction or fractional shortening less than 28%. Slow vital capacity of the lung was measured by a hand-held spirometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-nine carriers were monitored with a median follow-up of 9 years (range 7.0-10.6 years). Eleven carriers with DCM (10 DMD, 1 BMD) were identified. Nine of them developed DCM in the follow-up period. One of the patients with DCM reported in the 1995 study died of cardiac failure at age 57 years. DCM was more frequently found in carriers who were functionally symptomatic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiac abnormalities in DMD/BMD carriers are progressive, as in patients with DMD/BMD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Schade van Westrum
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hoogerwaard
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Standaar
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bakker
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Ippel
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Oosterwijk
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Majoor-Krakauer
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: van Essen
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Leschot
authors.forename: A A M
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Wilde
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: de Haan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Visser
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: van der Kooi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018450:Disease Progression; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric