Relationship of Scoliosis with Pain and Respiratory Dysfunction in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Abstract

Introduction Scoliosis is one of the major causes of respiratory dysfunction in patients with Duchene muscular dystrophy (DMD). Also, progressive spinal deformity severely affects walking and sitting, and can also lead to pain and difficulty in patient care. Although the relationship between scoliosis and respiratory functions was extensively studied, its impact on pain has not been examined. Hereby, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between scoliosis and respiratory dysfunction and pain, together with the frequency of scoliosis in Turkish DMD patients.

Materials and Methods The demographical data, rate, and region of scoliosis, pain, and respiratory functions were evaluated in 69 male DMD patients. The severity of pain was evaluated with a visual analog scale (VAS) and the degree of scoliosis was assessed with Cobb angle. Forced vital capacity was used to grade the pulmonary functions.

Results Scoliosis was present in 52.2% of the patients, mainly in the dorsolumbar region. Pain was present in 53.6% of the patients, most commonly in the back and lumbar regions. The rate of pulmonary dysfunction was 49.3%. Of the 36 patients with scoliosis, prevalences of pain and respiratory dysfunction were 77.7 and 50.0%, respectively. Scoliosis was significantly associated with pain and respiratory dysfunction, as expected.

Conclusion The prevalence of pain and respiratory dysfunction is considerably high in DMD patients with scoliosis. These patients should be closely monitored for pain and deterioration in respiratory functions, to ease their daily care, increase their quality of life, and preserve the functionality, as long as possible.