Relationships between grip strength, myotonia, and CTG expansion in myotonic dystrophy type 1

Abstract

In myotonic dystrophy type 1, several studies have suggested causal relationships between CTG repeat length and the severity of symptoms, such as weakness or myotonia. We aimed to explore these relationships in a large population of 144 DM1 patients. All patients underwent clinical and functional assessments using a standardized test for grip strength and myotonia assessment. Myotonia was assessed using a fully automatic software based on mathematical modeling of relaxation force curve. CTG repeat length was statistically correlated with both myotonia and grip strength, which are two major primary neuromuscular symptoms of DM1 patients. However, these relationships are not clinically meaningful and not predictive at the individual level.

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