Evaluation of cardiac functions in children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A prospective case-control study

Journal Title: Electronic Physician - Year 2017, Vol 9, Issue 11

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common childhood form of muscular dystrophy. The incidence of cardiomyopathy in DMD increases with age, so its early detection is important because institution of cardioprotective medical therapies may slow adverse remodeling and attenuate heart failure symptoms in these patients. OBJECTIVE: To assess the cardiac functions in children clinically suspected to have DMD. METHODS: Over a one-year period, 28 male children aged from 3 to 18 years old, who met the criteria for diagnosis of DMD compared to 47 healthy controls children, were approached to participate in the study. The included children were subjected to full clinical examination, and blood samples were collected to determine creatinine phosphokinase (CPK), troponin I enzyme, myoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme level. Echocardiography and 12-leads electrocardiogram (ECG) were also done for children in both groups. Data were analyzed using Independent-samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U, Chi square, and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The mean age of the cases group was 7.29±3.24 years versus 8.06±2.86 years for controls. In DMD group, 25% had positive family history of DMD while 35.7% of them had positive consanguinity. All cases had elevated CPK level while CPK level in controls was normal (p<0.0001). LDH level was elevated in 19 cases (67.86%) of DMD while all controls children had normal LDH level (p<0.0001). Furthermore, the mean serum myoglobin level of DMD patients was higher relative to that of healthy controls (39.39±7.25 versus 33.68 ±12.38 ng/ml respectively) (p=0.01). Echocardiography of our patients revealed that seven cases (25%) had low ejection fraction (EF) and fraction shortening (FS). In addition, all controls children had normal EF (p<0.0001) and normal FS (p<0.0001). Interestingly, ECG showed that 28.57% of cases had sinus tachycardia vs. 6.88% for controls (p=0.0001). Prolonged QTc interval was present in 39.29% of cases (mean 431.39±43.60) while all controls had normal QTc duration for age (mean of 415.17±25.2) (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: ECG manifestations in children with DMD in the form of sinus tachycardia and prolonged QTc interval are an early alarm for developing cardiomyopathy before overt echocardiographic findings appear

Authors and Affiliations

Abdelrahim Abdrabou Sadek, Shaimaa Mohamed Mahmoud, Mohammed Abd El-Aal, Ahmed Ahmed Allam, Walaa Ibrahim Abd El-Halim

Keywords

Related Articles

Examining Psychometric Characteristics of a Menopausal Health Questionnaire: Translation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian Version

INTRODUCTION: Menopause is a natural event in a woman's life which affects her general health and quality of life. However, currently there is no Persian instrument for measuring health status during this period. Therefo...

Molecular typing of uropathogenic E. coli strains by the ERIC-PCR method

INTRODUCTION: Escherichia coli (E. coli) is the most common cause of urinary infections in hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ERIC-PCR method for molecular typing of uropathogenic E. coli strains isolat...

Deep venous thrombosis among diabetic patients in King Abdulaziz University (KAU) Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients worldwide and, simultaneously, the most preventable. Studies revealed several risk factors of deep venous t...

Research highlights about contributions on cancer published in Electronic Physician Journal between 2009 and 2015

This article aims to highlight the important research work on cancer published in Electronic Physician Journal. The journal has published 18 articles concerning cancer research, i.e., two review articles, two case report...

Use of the Finnish method to quantify the ergonomic properties in an office environment among the workplaces in an Electricity Distribution Company in West Tehran Province

Introduction: The workplace plays an important role in workers’ performances, but most workplaces have not been designed and equipped in keeping with primary ergonomic principles. Ignoring these principles can cause ergo...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP332944
  • DOI 10.19082/5732
  • Views 99
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Abdelrahim Abdrabou Sadek, Shaimaa Mohamed Mahmoud, Mohammed Abd El-Aal, Ahmed Ahmed Allam, Walaa Ibrahim Abd El-Halim (2017). Evaluation of cardiac functions in children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A prospective case-control study. Electronic Physician, 9(11), 5732-5739. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-332944