Dilated Cardiomyopathy of Becker-Type Muscular Dystrophy with Exon 4 Deletion

The authors report a 47-year-old man with Becker-type muscular dystrophy presenting with dilated cardiomyopathy. Left ventriculography showed diffuse severe hypokinesia: left ventric-ular end-diastolic volume index 193 mL/m2, left ventricular end-systolic volume index 143 mL/m2, and left ventricular ejection fraction 26%. Skeletal muscle biopsy demonstrated a dystrophic process. Genetic analysis revealed a deletion of exon 4. There was a difference in immunos-taining pattern between skeletal muscles and cardiac muscles. Severe cardiac dysfunction in this case may be associated with the damage in dystrophin-deficient fibers