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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neuromuscular Disorders and Peripheral Neuropathies
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1451537
This article is part of the Research Topic Age and sex differences in myotonic disorders and periodic paralysis View all 6 articles

Changes in body composition revealed by bioelectrical impedance analysis reflect strength and motor performance in myotonic dystrophy type 2

Provisionally accepted
Erica Frezza Erica Frezza 1,2*Giuseppe Merra Giuseppe Merra 3Giulia Greco Giulia Greco 1,2Mariangela Goglia Mariangela Goglia 1,2Silvia Seraceno Silvia Seraceno 4Laura Boffa Laura Boffa 2Nicola Biagio Mercuri Nicola Biagio Mercuri 1Antonino De Lorenzo Antonino De Lorenzo 3Roberto Massa Roberto Massa 1,2
  • 1 Department of Systems Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
  • 2 Other, Rome, Italy
  • 3 Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University Hospital Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
  • 4 School of Specialization in Food Science, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Lazio, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: In Myotonic Dystrophy type 2 (DM2), metabolic dysfunctions are frequent. Therefore, measurement of muscle mass and body composition by non-invasive methods could help in evaluating disease severity and progression. The aim of our study was to investigate, by means of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), whether DM2 patients have an alteration in their body composition and if this finding correlates with strength and motor performances.Methods: We obtained anthropometric measures, nutritional data, BIA and blood tests in 18 DM2 patients and correlated them with motor function tests.Results: The 33% of male and 22% of female patients had BMI values compatible with severe obesity, whereas 44% of males and 33% of females had a metabolic syndrome. Considering BIA parameters, phase angle was under normal values in 56% of males and 89% of females. This may be regarded as a marker of deranged cell membrane function. Motor tests showed a fair to strong direct correlation with several BIA parameters.Conclusion: These data suggest that BIA findings may be faithful markers of the degree of muscle wasting and impairment in DM2. The different degree of BIA alterations between genders indicate that body composition undergoes sex-related modifications in this disease. The potential of this technique to capture changes in a slowly progressive disorder such as DM2 should be tested in longitudinal studies.

    Keywords: Myotonic dystrophy type 2, bioelectrical impedance analysis, Body Composition, outcome measures, motor function tests, gender, Metabolic dysfunctions, strength

    Received: 19 Jun 2024; Accepted: 30 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Frezza, Merra, Greco, Goglia, Seraceno, Boffa, Mercuri, De Lorenzo and Massa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Erica Frezza, Department of Systems Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.