Researchers have examined the causes of death in 1,021 patients with Steinert’s disease (or myotonic dystrophy type 1) in the United Kingdom.
– The main causes of death were cardiac (rhythm and conduction disorders) and respiratory (respiratory failure, inhalation pneumonitis, etc.), which are known complications of the disease.
– Although deaths from cancer appear to be increasing, they are no more frequent than in a control population.
The authors stress the importance of close, expert, multidisciplinary follow-up in this disease.
