Prevalence of Neuropsychiatric Disorders in Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophies: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), in populations with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD).

Data sources: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from inception to November 2021.

Study selection: Observational studies of individuals with DMD or BMD that estimated the prevalence of ASDs, ADHD, depression, anxiety disorders, and OCD in each population.

Data extraction: A random-effects meta-analysis was performed on each outcome and each population (ie, DMD, BMD).

Data synthesis: Twenty-three studies were included in the meta-analysis. In DMD, there was a prevalence of 7.0% of ASDs, 18.0% of ADHD, 11.0% of depression, 24.0% of anxiety disorders, and 12.0% of OCD. Furthermore, in BMD, there was a prevalence of 6.0% of ASDs, 28.0% of ADHD, 7.0% of depression, 25.0% of anxiety disorders, and 7.0% of OCD.

Conclusions: The prevalence of these neuropsychiatric disorders is higher among patients with DMD or BMD than among the general population, and the presence of these disorders may negatively influence optimal medical management.