Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an X linked disorder affecting approximately 1 in 3500 male live births. The incidence remains stable in most populations, maintained by a high rate of new mutations in the dystrophin gene.1 We observed that a higher than expected proportion of families of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy seemed to be from a deprived background, even at the time of first diagnosis (usually by age 5). We measured the level of material deprivation based on the place of residence at the time of diagnosis of all patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the north of England to test the hypothesis that this single gene disorder is associated with social deprivation.
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