Epilepsy Characteristics in Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophies

Dystrophinopathies cover a spectrum of X-linked muscle disorders including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), and cardiomyopathy due to pathogenic variants in the DMD gene. Neuropsychiatric manifestations occur approximately in one-third of patients with dystrophinopathy. Epilepsy has been described. Here we report seizure and electroencephalographic features of boys with dystrophinopathy and epilepsy. This is a retrospective chart review of eight patients with dystrophinopathy and epilepsy seen at Arkansas Children's Hospital and University of Rochester Medical center. Six patients had DMD and two had BMD. Five patients had generalized epilepsy. Three patients had focal epilepsy and the seizures were intractable in two of them. Brain imaging was available for five patients and were within normal limits. EEG abnormalities were noted in six patients. Seizures were well controlled on the current antiepileptic medication regimen in all patients. Further research is needed to better elucidate the underlying mechanisms and genotype-phenotype correlations.