What impact does obesity have on clinical outcomes for young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

Background. Young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are more susceptible to obesity, yet little is known about the impact of obesity on clinical outcomes. Aim. To investigate the impact of obesity on clinical outcomes in boys with DMD. Methods. Medical records of males with DMD attending the Royal Children's Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic, anthropometric and body composition outcomes were collected and analysed descriptively. Clinical milestones related to physical function, respiratory function, sleep and bone health were collected. Time-to-event analysis using a Cox proportional hazards model determined the effect of overweight or obesity compared to no overweight/obesity at age 5 to 9 years on clinical milestones. Results. From 158 patients, 2456 body mass index (BMI), 227 lean and 232 fat mass observations were analysed. 89.9% were treated with steroids. Between 3 to 19 years median BMI z-score was >1. Obesity prevalence increased from 5 (16.7%) to 11 years (50.6%)...