Metabolic syndrome in neuromuscular disease.

Objectives: To test the hypotheses that (1) people with neuromuscular disease (NMD) have multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes and (2) these risk factors worsen over time.

Design: Longitudinal testing with average 2.5-year follow-up.

Setting: Human performance laboratory of a university.

Participants: Eleven ambulatory volunteers with slowly progressive NMD and 8 able-bodied controls, group-matched for age and body mass index (BMI) at baseline.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures: Percentage of body fat (%BF), physical activity, energy expenditure, blood lipids and glucose, and blood pressure.

Results: At baseline, NMD subjects were more obese (37%BF vs 34%BF, respectively) and more sedentary than the controls, spending less time in total activity (144 min/d vs 214 min/d) and in exercise (11 min/d vs 45 min/d). The NMD group also had numerous cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high BMI, and high triglyceride being the most common. Additionally, 55% of the NMD group satisfied the criteria for metabolic syndrome, versus 0% in the control group. Most parameters did not significantly worsen during the average 2.5-year follow-up period in either group.

Conclusions: People with NMD are at high risk for developing chronic diseases resulting from obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Intervention studies aimed at reducing their risk for such chronic diseases are warranted.