Utility of skinfold thickness measurement in non-ambulatory patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Abstract

Nutritional disorders in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) worsen the medical condition. In particular, obesity is a serious problem that increases the risk of cardiomyopathy and affects nursing care. However, it is often difficult to evaluate body fatness in the advanced stages of DMD. Skinfold thickness measurement is a classical method to evaluate body fatness and is easily performed, even for bed-bound patients at home. We aimed to investigate the utility of skinfold thickness measurement in non-ambulatory DMD patients. Twenty-two patients with non-ambulatory, steroid-naive DMD ranging in age of 12–47 years were evaluated by body mass index (BMI), blood tests, measurement of triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), and abdominal computed tomography (CT) measurement of the areas of both subcutaneous and visceral fat. TSF showed good correlation with BMI (r = 0.80; p < 0.001), serum triglycerides (r = 0.67; p < 0.01), area of subcutaneous fat (r = 0.85; p < 0.0001), and area of visceral fat (r = 0.76; p < 0.0001). These results indicate the skinfold thickness measurement may be applicable as a screening tool in clinical practice where CT and magnetic resonance imaging assessment is often difficult in patients with advanced DMD.