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Clinical management of Duchenne muscular dystrophy: the state of the art

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Abstract

Introduction

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating, progressive neuromuscular disorder for which there is no cure. As the dystrophin gene is located on the X chromosome, DMD occurs predominately in males. DMD is caused by a lack of functional dystrophin protein resulting from mutations in the 2.2-Mb DMD gene, whichdisrupts the reading frame. Care considerations for DMD advocate a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to the management of DMD in order to optimize management of the primary manifestations of DMD as well as any secondary complications that may arise.

Methods

This review provides an overview of the multidisciplinary clinical management of DMD with regard to the respiratory, cardiology, orthopedic, and nutritional needs of patients with DMD. Recent advances in novel disease-modifying treatments for DMD are also discussed with specific reference to exon skipping and suppression of premature stop codons as promising genetic therapies.

Results

The combination of multidisciplinary clinical management alongside novel gene therapiesoffers physicians a powerful armamentarium for the treatment of DMD.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Melanie Gatt (PhD) for the medical writing assistance on behalf of Springer Healthcare Communications.

Funding

Medical writing assistance was funded by PTC Therapeutics, Rome, Italy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Sonia Messina

  2. Nemo Sud Clinical Centre, University Hospital “G. Martino”, Messina, Italy

    Sonia Messina & Gian Luca Vita

  3. Unit of Neurology and Neuromuscular Diseases, AOU Policlinico “G. Martino”, Building E, 2° Floor, Via Consolare Valeria 1, 98125, Messina, Italy

    Sonia Messina

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  1. Sonia Messina
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Correspondence to Sonia Messina.

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Messina, S., Vita, G.L. Clinical management of Duchenne muscular dystrophy: the state of the art. Neurol Sci 39, 1837–1845 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-018-3555-3

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