Safety and efficacy of carvedilol therapy for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy secondary to muscular dystrophy

PubMed, the Internet portal of biomedical and life sciences literature, indexed an interesting article, entitled Safety and efficacy of carvedilol therapy for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy secondary to muscular dystrophy (Pediatr Cardiol. 2008 Mar;29(2):343-51). Authors are Rhodes J Margossian R Darras BT et al., from the Department of Cardiology, Children’s Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. By the age of 20 years, almost all patients with Duchenne’s or Becker’s muscular dystrophy have experienced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a condition that contributes significantly to their morbidity and mortality. Although studies have shown carvedilol to be an effective therapy for patients with other forms of DCM, few data exist concerning its safety and efficacy for patients with muscular dystrophy. Carvedilol therapy appears to be safe for patients with DCM secondary to muscular dystrophy and produces a modest improvement in systolic and diastolic function. To access the full abstract of the article, click here.