Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40911807›Full record

ArticleNeurology2025

Sensitivity of Different Clinical Outcome Measures in Assessing Adults With Becker Muscular Dystrophy: A 3-Year Natural History Study.

Esther J Schrama, Zaïda Koeks, Nienke M Van De Velde, Iris Alleman, Jules J van Benthem, Pieteke W van Weperen, Melissa T Hooijmans, Hermien E Kan, Pietro Spitali, Nina Ajmone Marsan and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Esther J SchramaDepartment of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-3716-6584
Zaïda KoeksDepartment of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.
Nienke M Van De VeldeDepartment of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-1541-130X
Iris AllemanDepartment of Physiotherapy, Reinier de Graaf Ziekenhuis, Delft, the Netherlands.
Jules J van BenthemDepartment of Rehabilitation, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Pieteke W van WeperenDepartment of Orthopaedics, Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.
Melissa T HooijmansAmsterdam Movement Sciences, Sports, the Netherlands.
Hermien E KanDepartment of Radiology, C.J. Gorter MRI Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-5772-7177
Pietro SpitaliHuman Genetics Department, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-2783-688X
Nina Ajmone MarsanDepartment of Cardiology, Heart Lung Center, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands; and.ORCID 0000-0001-7208-5769
Douwe E AtsmaDepartment of Cardiology, Heart Lung Center, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands; and.ORCID 0000-0002-9664-2985
Hermine A van DuyvenvoordeDuchenne Center Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-0451-2065
Jan J G M VerschuurenDepartment of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-4572-1501
Erik H NiksDepartment of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5892-5143

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesSlow and highly variable disease progression in Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) stresses the need to develop sensitive outcome measures for clinical trials. We evaluated responsiveness of different outcome measures in adult patients with BMD over 3 years and explored if the sensitivity of outcome measures can be increased by selecting on phenotype or genotype.

methodsGenetically confirmed patients with BMD were recruited via the Dutch Dystrophinopathy Database. Functional tests included North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA), Timed Tests, Performance of the Upper Limb version 1.2, and pulmonary function yearly and echocardiography biennially. Mean changes and standardized response means (SRMs) were calculated per year. Outcome measures with SRM ≥0.80 were considered to have a high responsiveness to change. Two genetic subgroups-deletion of exons 45-47 and variants affecting the neuronal nitric oxide synthesis (nNOS) binding site-and one functional subgroup-NSAA between 10 and 32 at baseline-were analyzed separately.

resultsThirty-six patients with BMD were included (mean age 41.2 years, range 18.6-67.3, 27 ambulant at baseline). A high responsiveness was observed for the rise from floor velocity (RFFv) at 3-year follow-up (SRM -0.91, n = 16), while the SRMs for the other outcome measures were <0.8 at all time points. In the functional subgroup, a high responsiveness was observed for RFFv at 1-year follow-up (SRM -0.82, n = 10), along with 4-stair climb velocity (4SCv) (SRM -1.03, n = 11) and NSAA (SRM -0.82, n = 13) at 2-year follow-up. Genetic subgroups did not significantly differ in age at loss of ambulation (LoA). Upper limb and pulmonary function were preserved beyond LoA. Decline of cardiac function was independent of skeletal muscle function. DISCUSSION: RFFv was the only outcome measure sensitive to change at 3-year follow-up. Selecting on phenotype resulted in a high responsiveness for RFFv at 1-year follow-up and for 4SCv and NSAA at 2-year follow-up. NSAA could be performed in more participants compared with RFFv and therefore seems preferable in clinical trials for ambulant patients. Despite limitations in sample size, the results suggest that clinical trials in the ambulant population could be enriched by selecting on phenotype.

Indexed as

Muscular Dystrophy, DuchenneOutcome Assessment, Health CareAdolescentAdultAgedDisease ProgressionFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedPhenotypeYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID40911807
PMCPMC12413741

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.