Body-potassium concentation and rubidium metabolism determined by whole-body counting in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and its genetic carrier state.

Abstract

Summary Body-potassium concentration and long-term rubidium whole-body retention have been measured by whole-body counting in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and in genetic carriers. In the patients and in some of the carriers, body-potassium concentration was significantly lower than that observed in normal subjects of similar ages. A shorter biological half-life of rubidium was also found. These results suggest that determination of body-potassium concentration and rubidium half-life using whole-body counting may assume a role in diagnosing progressive muscular dystrophy and might be valuable as an indicator of the genetic carrier state, possibly predicting the inheritance of the disease.