DIETARY HABITS AND GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS IN DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY: PRELIMINARY DATA

Boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) develop nutritional and gastrointestinal impairments throughout their life. To estimate the prevalence of malnutrition, gastrointestinal symptoms and the quality of habitual diet in DMD Italian patients. We created an online data entry platform to collect clinical data, weight and height, adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) by a 14-items validated questionnaire and gastrointestinal symptoms by a structured questionnaire. A webinar was held prior to the launch of the platform to explain the study's aims and how to fill the web pages. 41 patients were children (mean age 8.0± 3.9 ys) and 11 patients adults (mean age 27,6 ± 7.5 ys). 4,9% and 14.6% of children were underweight and overweight/obesity respectively while 36.4% of adults resulted underweight whereas none was overweight or obese. Corticosteroids therapy and supplements consumption were vastly more prevalent in children than in adults. 47,5% and 10% of children and adults DMD patients respectively showed dietary habits adhering to MDP. Delayed gastric emptying, dysphagia and constipation occurred in 14,3%, 6,1% and 20,4% of DMD patients with a prevalence three times higher in adults. Our preliminary data underlighted a high prevalence of malnutrition both in children and in adults DMD patients. Adherence to MDP decreases in adult age together with the worsening of gastrointestinal symptoms. Taken together these preliminary results suggest that the management of nutritional aspects is urgently required in order to improve nutritional status, dietary pattern and gastrointestinal symptoms.