Boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who were previously unable to walk on their own for long can now have a sigh of relief. According to a recent study, daily steroid treatment allows them to walk on their own and minimize the risk of scoliosis to a considerable extent.

The results were part of a study that was published in the May 8, 2007, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

From News-Medical.Net:

For the study, researchers reviewed records of 143 boys seen at the Ohio State University Muscular Dystrophy Clinic in Columbus. Of the group, 75 had been treated with corticosteroids for an average of eight years and the rest of the boys had never been treated or had received a brief dose of steroids.

The study found boys who were treated with daily steroids walked by themselves 3.3 years longer than the untreated boys and had a lower rate of scoliosis, 31 percent compared to 91 percent.

“Previous studies have shown steroids improve strength and function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but this is the first study to show the long-term impact and how treated boys are able to walk longer on their own,” said study author Wendy King, PT, with the Department of Neurology at Ohio State University Medical Center, and member of the American Academy of Neurology.

It was remarked that the benefits of steroids come at a cost of side effects and it is best to weigh the benefits and risk of steroid treatments before making any decision. The study is expected to bring smiles on the faces of patients and parents of these patients who have been long expecting a cure for this disorder.

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