Novel emerging therapies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) require a deeper understanding of DMD natural history. This study aim to assess the natural history of DMD through a composite assessment tool capable of capturing disease progression linking ambulant and non-ambulant phases of the disease.~With a recruitment target of 80 DMD patients across 5 centres (London, Newcastle, Paris, Leiden, Nijmegen), subjects are assessed 6 monthly according to a shared protocol. Assessments include 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA), Performance of Upper Limb (PUL) and MyoSet (myogrip, myopinch and moviplate). Both ambulant and non-ambulant subjects undergo upper limb evaluation and respiratory function test including forced vital capacity (FVC), maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures (MIP/MEP). A subgroup of patients performs annual whole body DEXA scan. An imaging sub-study will aim to characterize muscle (upper/lower limb) and brain MRI.~The investigators will analyze the longitudinal data for the different assessment tools and explore correlations among them.~This study will offer a comprehensive natural history of DMD including novel outcome measures, allowing to capture disease progression and explore the relationship between different assessment tools.
Novel emerging therapies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) require a deeper understanding of DMD natural history. This study aim to assess the natural history of DMD through a composite assessment tool capable of capturing disease progression linking ambulant and non-ambulant phases of the disease.