Genetic therapies and respiratory outcomes in patients with neuromuscular disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Genetic therapies made a significant impact to the clinical course of patients with spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Clinicians and therapists who care for these patients want to know the changes in respiratory sequelae and implications for clinical care for treated patients.

RECENT FINDINGS: Different genetic therapy approaches have been developed to replace the deficient protein product in spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The natural history of these conditions needed to be understood in order to design clinical trials. Respiratory parameters were not the primary outcome measures for the clinical trials. The impact of these therapies is described in subsequent clinical trial reports or real-world data.

SUMMARY: Genetic therapies are able to stabilize or improve the respiratory sequelae in patients with spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Standardized reporting of these outcomes is needed to help inform the future revisions of clinical standards of care and practice guidelines.