P.147 BIOELECTRIC IHPEDMCE CVIYILYSIS (MCI) VS ANTMOPDMETRY Mf’l1 IN PhTIENTS UITH VARICIUS FCRPIS OF NUSCLE DYSTROPHY. H. Leaelino,_ C. Kuhn, D. Lutzmann-, P. Berlit+, E. Holn , Departments of Pathophysiology and Neurology*, University of Heidelberg, Mannhein, FRG

In patients with euscle dystrophy, anthropoeetric measurements of body composition, although widely used, do not appear to be satisfactorily validated. To test the

adequacy of RM for determining body fat estimates of total body fat (TBF) were derived from both AM and BIA in 21 patients with different types and stages of euscle dystrophy (British Nedical Research Council - BWC - , grades l-31 as well as in 20 age- and sex-matched controls. TBF was calculated free biceps, triceps, subscapular, and suprai 1 i acal skinfold thicknesses (Lange Caliper) and, in addition, froa body resistance as measured by the tetrapolar BIA method (RJL Systems, Model BIA 101 CInalyzer) . fill statistics were performed by the Statistical malysis System (EM). Part of the results (mean A SEH) is given in the table.

Controls (n=ZO) BIWCI (n=ll) BrRC2 (n= 51

(t-i= 51

Body Fat (Y. body weight) Reri stance to1 ANT BIA BI&

24.0 + 1.3 16.4 f 1.2 469 * 12 26.7 t 2.1 28.0 f 2.1 593 f 34 26.0 + 3.1 32.2 t 1.8 720 ?: 40 29.6 t 5.1 36.7 ?: 3.0 1049 -+ 91

The severity of the disease was correlated with the resistance values (r10.77, p<O.OOl) and with the amount of TBF obtained by BIA (r=O.SO, p=O.OZi. CI lower correlatim resulted between the duration of the disease and BIA-derived TBF (v0.52, p=O.O16). The anthropometric measurements, however, failed to yield similar correlations. In addition, the BIA values were by far superior over Ml with regard to the predictive diagnostic accuracy. We cmclude that, in the assesseent of body coepositim changes in muscle dystrophy, AM is hardly reliable, while BIA appears to be appropriate for both diagnosis of the disease and follow-up studies.

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