The manifestations of type 6 nemalin myopathy are modest but have a major impact on patients

A Dutch team has studied 24 patients with nemalin myopathy type 6, linked to mutations in KBTBD13 and the most prevalent in the Netherlands.

  • Since childhood, patients have mainly suffered from muscle weakness, slowness of movement, muscle stiffness, difficulty running, fatigue and myalgia.
  • Falls were reported by 71% of patients; over a prospective three-month period, eight fell at least once, five of them twice or more.
  • The Mini-BEST balance test and the MFM were moderately impaired, with scores averaging 24/28 for the former and 91% for the latter.
  • All had a reduced rate of muscle relaxation.
  • Their health-related quality of life was significantly impaired.

 

Nemaline Myopathy Type 6 Caused by Variants in the KBTBD13 Gene: A Cross-Sectional Study of 24 Patients. van Kleef ESB, Bouman K, Molenaar JPF et al. Neurol Genet. 2024 Dec 5;10(6):e200214.