The Treatment of Obesity in Children and Adolescents with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Principal Investigator:  Scott Crow, M.D.

Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy often are overweight or obese.  This excess weight greatly affects quality of life for these patients and also affects those who help to care for them.  Excess weight interferes with transfers and can cause lung, skin and bone problems.  Little research has been done to find effective treatments for overweight in patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  As the disease progresses, the parents of children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy play a uniquely central role in feeding of their children.  In childhood obesity treatment research, increased focus has turned to the role of parents in treatment.  For these reasons, parent-focused obesity interventions are a perfect fit in the treatment of obesity in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  Developing an effective treatment would be of great benefit. 

This is a pilot project to demonstrate the efficacy of a parent-focused weight loss intervention aimed at reducing weight in children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  We predict that weight loss will improve quality of life for both patients and caregivers, and in the long run may help to preserve other aspects of physical health.