Based on four emblematic individual cases of young adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a British team studied and reviewed life-threatening digestive complications:
- DMD patients were between 24 and 28 years old,
- three out of four had never received long-term corticosteroid therapy,
- all had minor digestive problems such as constipation and/or dysphagia, depending on the case,
- initial presentation was variable, with either an acute painful abdominal syndrome and/or significant weight loss.
The authors stress the importance of transient parenteral nutrition and bloodless procedures (such as sigmoidoscopy) to remove the obstruction.
