• Fernando Augusto Pessolano, Adrián Alejandro Súarez, Sergio Gabriel Monteiro, Lilia Mesa, Alberto Dubrovsky, Aquiles Juan Roncoroni, and Eduardo Luis De Vito.
• Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Alfredo Lanari, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2003 Mar 1; 82 (3): 182-5.

ObjectiveTo study the nutritional status of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.DesignA total of 34 Duchenne muscular dystrophy and seven amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients were studied. Body mass index, patient's body weight for zero muscle mass as a percentage of the theoretical weight for zero muscle mass, and creatinine-height index were calculated.ResultsSubstantial differences were found between body mass index and percentage of expected weight for zero muscle mass. No amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients were classified as overweight by body mass index, whereas five were overweight by the percentage of expected weight for zero muscle mass method. Five Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients were classified as overweight by body mass index, and 30 were overweight by the percentage of expected weight for zero muscle mass. According to the creatinine-height index, no patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Duchenne muscular dystrophy showed normal body muscle mass. No correlation was found between creatinine-height index, percentage of expected weight for zero muscle mass, and body mass index.ConclusionsThe body mass index should be used with caution for the evaluation of the nutritional status of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Indices that incorporate the assessment of the compartmental distribution of muscle and fat are more sensitive.

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