%0 Case Reports %T Infection-associated decrease of serum creatine kinase levels in Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy. %A Takeshita S %A Saito Y %A Oyama Y %A Watanabe Y %A Ikeda A %A Iai M %A Sato T %A Ishigaki K %A Ito SI %J Brain Dev %V 43 %N 3 %D Mar 2021 %M 33277141 %F 2.272 %R 10.1016/j.braindev.2020.11.009 %X BACKGROUND: Marked decreases in serum creatine kinase levels have been noted in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies as rare complications of autoimmune or autoinflammatory diseases.
METHODS: The influence of systemic inflammation on serum creatine kinase levels was reviewed from the charts of three subjects with Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy.
RESULTS: A total of 30 infectious events were identified. Elevated serum C-reactive protein levels coincided with decreased creatine kinase levels on 19 occasions. In one subject, administration of 2 mg/kg/d prednisolone for bronchial asthma resulted in a decrease in creatine kinase level on six other occasions.
CONCLUSIONS: Apart from an increase in endogenous cortisol secretion, certain inflammation-related molecules could play a role in mitigating muscle cell damage in Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy during febrile infectious episodes. Corticosteroids may be a promising agent for the treatment of muscular symptoms in this disorder.