DM1 is one of the most common neuromuscular diseases in adults. It causes a pluri-systemic attack: the skeletal muscle, the heart, the endocrine glands, the lens, among others, can be affected to varying degrees. The disease is progressive, disabling and frequently accompanied by psycho-cognitive disorders that can lead to social isolation.
In an article published in November 2020, Quebec researchers focused on the issue of isolation and restriction of participation in the medico-sociological meaning of the term within the large population of patients with DM1 in the Lake Saguenay region. In this nine-year study, which took place in the local neuromuscular referral center but also at home, 114 adults with DM1 were included. Predictive factors of this risk of restriction of social participation have been identified, both at the individual level (body mass index, income level, walking ability, etc.) and environmental (accessibility, access to adapted transport, perception obstacles…). A better knowledge of these factors allows the professionals in charge of these patients to adapt their interventions.
