The U.K. NorthStar Clinical Network
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Basic parameters: up to 99 years · Male.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United Kingdom
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Natural History and Standards of Care in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - the U.K. NorthStar Clinical Network.
Overview
The goal of this natural history study is to capture the natural history of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) in children and adults in the United Kingdom. Children and adults with DMD will be invited to join. The primary objective of the study is to collect longitudinal data on motor and respiratory function in DMD patients from childhood to adulthood. The secondary objectives of the study include collection of longitudinal data on other aspects of natural history on DMD, including respiratory, cardiac and endocrine complications, neurodiversity (cognitive impairment, neuro-behavioural disorders such as ADHD and autism), changes to bone density and occurrence of fractures, changes to puberty, incidence of scoliosis, unplanned hospital admissions, and quality of life. The study will also collect information on ethnicity. Participants will attend an annual or bi-annual neuromuscular clinic, and will have a series of assessments and questionnaires with the study team. These include: key medical data, physiotherapy data, respiratory assessments, Quality of Life questionnaires, and DMD questionnaires. Following assessments and questionnaire completion, data is input into the study's tailor-made National Neuromuscular Database.
Detailed description
This study will make use of the existing NorthStar network to collect a wider range of clinically relevant data from paediatric and adult DMD patients, to describe more completely the natural history of the disease in different domains and across different life stages and disease phases. Data will be collected using assessment techniques and outcome measures appropriate to the major phases of the disease, and which are in some cases not currently part of the standard of care for DMD in the UK. The National Neuromuscular Database will continue to be used to collect and store these data. This study will allow the network to continue to describe the current natural history in DMD prospectively, with more robust subject ascertainment and completeness. This will help meet the current need for contemporary natural history data for the evaluation of new therapies, and further research in DMD.
Primary outcome measures
- Longitudinal data on motor function in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) patients from the childhood to the adult phases of life [Time frame: From enrolment to the end of the study, across 18 months]
Secondary outcome measures (2)
- Longitudinal data on quality of life in childhood and adult patients. [Time frame: From enrolment to the end of the study, across 18 months]
- Longitudinal data on quality of life in childhood and adult patients. [Time frame: From enrolment to the end of the study, across 18 months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- All patients with genetically confirmed diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in the United Kingdom. Recruitment will also be possible in cases in whom the DMD diagnosis is made after a muscle biopsy even if the dystrophin gene variant is still being investigated.
Exclusion criteria
- Involvement in clinical trials is not an exclusion criterion nor having had surgical procedures, as this is an observational research study. The regular clinical data of patients in clinical trials will be acquired as part of the clinical follow up.
- Patients based outside of the United Kingdom.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
United Kingdom · 26 centers
- Aberdeen, NHS Grampian — Aberdeen
- Belfast Health and Social Care Trust — Belfast
- Birmingham Children's Hospital — Birmingham
- Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust — Birmingham
- Birmingham Heartlands Hospital — Birmingham
- University Hospitals Bristol and Weston — Bristol
- Cambridge University Hospitals — Cambridge
- Cardiff and Vale University Health Board — Cardiff
- … and 18 more centers
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06711692 · 242567