Respiratory comorbidities and treatments in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: impact on life expectancy and causes of death.

Background: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a neuromuscular disorder with progressive decline of pulmonary function increasing the risk of early mortality. The aim of this study was to explore the respiratory-related comorbidities, and the effect of these comorbidities and treatments on life expectancy and causes of death.

Methods: All male patients living in Sweden with DMD, born and deceased 1970-2019, were included.

One in five patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy dies from other causes than cardiac or respiratory failure.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe neuromuscular disorder with increasing life expectancy from late teens to over 30 years of age. The aim of this nationwide study was to explore the prevalence, life expectancy and leading causes of death in patients with DMD in Sweden. Patients with DMD were identified through the National Quality Registry for Neuromuscular Diseases in Sweden, the Swedish Registry of Respiratory Failure, pathology laboratories, neurology and respiratory clinics, and the national network for neuromuscular diseases.

Long term treatment with ataluren-the Swedish experience.

Introduction: Ataluren is a relatively new treatment for male patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) due to a premature stop codon. Long-term longitudinal data as well as efficacy data on non-ambulant patients are still lacking. Here we present the results from a long-term follow-up study of all DMD patients treated with ataluren and followed at the Queen Silvia Children's Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, with focus on the evolution of patients' upper motor and respiratory function over time.

NFL is a marker of treatment response in children with SMA treated with nusinersen.

Background: Recently, the anti-sense oligonucleotide drug nusinersen was approved for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and our aim was to find a response marker for this treatment.

Methods: Twelve children with SMA type 1 and two copies of the SMN2 gene were included in a consecutive single-center study. The children were sampled for CSF at baseline and every time nusinersen was given intrathecally.