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Monday 15, Jun 2009

  Length of Walking Ability gets improved with Steroids in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

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Length of Walking Ability gets improved with Steroids in Patients with Duchenne Muscular DystrophyIn a study that was supported by the General Clinical Research Center at the Ohio State University and the National Center of Research Resources of NIH, it was revealed that boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (MD) are able to walk more than 3 years longer when they take corticosteroids on a daily basis.

Wendy King, a physical therapist in the neurology department at Ohio State University, remarked that the risk of scoliosis along with the degree of curvature gets sharply reduced with daily doses of corticosteroids.

King remarked that this study is the first to look at the long-term impact of the drugs against previous studies that merely showed that corticosteroids can improve strength and function in boys with X-linked recessive ailment.

From Medpagetoday.com:

The reason for non-treatment with steroids was invariably parent refusal because of fear of side effects, the researchers said. The average duration of steroid use was 8.04 years.

The study found:

Boys on steroids were able to walk independently, on average, 3.3 years longer than those who weren’t treated. The difference — from 9.21 years to 12.52 years — was significant at P<0.0001.

The prevalence of scoliosis in the treated boys was 31%, compared with 91% among those not getting steroids, a difference that was significant at P<0.0001.

The average scoliotic curve was 11.6 degrees in the treated boys, compared with 33.2 degrees in the untreated boys, which was also significant at P<0.0001.

On the other hand, 32% of the treated boys had vertebral compression fractures versus none in those not getting steroids, which was significant at P<0.0012.

The yearly long-bone fracture rate was 0.088 among the treated boys, but only 0.033 in the untreated group, difference by a factor of 2.6, which was significant at P<0.0032.

Several factors probably play a role in the increased rate of long-bone fractures, the researchers said, including prolonged independent walking and increased body weight because of the steroids.

The study also suggested that patients with Duchenne MD must be prescribed calcium supplements and provided with regular bone density examinations at intervals of six months to twenty four months because of the orthopedic implications of usage of steroids.

Friday 29, May 2009

  Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patients Can Walk Longer With Steroids

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Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patients Can Walk Longer With SteroidsDuchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle wasting and weakness that begin with microscopic changes in the muscle. As muscles degenerate over time, the person’s muscle strength gradually declines. This disorder happens to one in every 3,500 boys between age nine and 11.

There is no definite cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, although corticosteroids or steroids can help children to walk longer by themselves, and reduce the risk of scoliosis.

From Science Daily:

Duchenne muscular dystrophy occurs in one in 3,500 boys. Symptoms start in early childhood and rapidly progress with most boys losing the ability to walk between ages nine and 11.

For the study, researchers reviewed records of 143 boys seen at the Ohio State University Muscular Dystrophy Clinic in Columbus. Of the group, 75 had been treated with corticosteroids for an average of eight years and the rest of the boys had never been treated or had received a brief dose of steroids.

The study found boys who were treated with daily steroids walked by themselves 3.3 years longer than the untreated boys and had a lower rate of scoliosis, 31 percent compared to 91 percent.

However, the study found those boys being treated with daily steroids had an increased risk of vertebral and leg fractures. Vertebral fractures occurred in 32 percent of the boys treated with steroids, whereas there were no fractures reported in the untreated group. Leg fractures were 2.6 times more common in the steroid-treated group. King said this may be due to increased body weight and that the treated boys walked longer than the untreated group.

Daily dose of steroids allow children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy to walk longer by at least 3.3 years – that is 91% of 143 boys who participated in the study. The benefits of this treatment come at a cost of its side effects including risk of vertebral and leg fractures.

Tuesday 26, May 2009

  Regular intake of steroids helpful for boys down with Muscular Dystrophy

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Regular intake of steroids helpful for boys down with Muscular DystrophyA new study has revealed that boys affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy can be treated with a daily steroid treatment. The study claims that daily intake of steroids can assist them to walk on their own for a prolonged period of time besides minimizing the risk of scoliosis.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which occurs in one out of 3500 boys, shows symptoms in early childhood days and tends to progress between ages nine to eleven.

From Bio-Medicine.Org:

For the study, researchers reviewed records of 143 boys seen at the Ohio State University Muscular Dystrophy Clinic in Columbus. Of the group, 75 had been treated with corticosteroids for an average of eight years and the rest of the boys had never been treated or had received a brief dose of steroids.

The study found boys who were treated with daily steroids walked by themselves 3.3 years longer than the untreated boys and had a lower rate of scoliosis, 31 percent compared to 91 percent.

“Previous studies have shown steroids improve strength and function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but this is the first study to show the long-term impact and how treated boys are able to walk longer on their own,” said study author Wendy King, PT, with the Department of Neurology at Ohio State University Medical Center, and member of the American Academy of Neurology.

This is the first study that shows the long-term impact of steroids in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It shows that boys can walk on their own after being treated with steroids on a daily basis. It was also remarked that patients and their families must be informed of the pros and cons of such a treatment beforehand to help them make an informed decision.

The findings are expected to offer relief to all those boys who are fighting battle against Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

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