Rodriguez-Gomez I, et al. - A comparative scrutiny was performed of the lean mass (LM) and bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) between McArdle patients and age/sex-matched healthy controls. This study also inspected their potential link with physical activity (PA) levels in patients. The findings revealed the presence of poor bone health in McArdle patients. This, in turn, required additional focus as its occurrence could be seen in relatively young adults. Partial alleviation of this disorder could be achieved via an active lifestyle, possibly due to its beneficial effect on LM.

Methods

• The scheme of this research was a case-control, cross-sectional design.
• It contemplated LM, BMC and BMD by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 136 young adults of both sexes [36 McArdle patients (33+/-15y) and 103 controls (34+/-11y)].
• An analysis of PA was conducted with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).

Results

• Considerably lower LM values were reported in whole-body and regional sites than their corresponding controls, in McArdle patients.
• In contrast, there were no variations (except for the trunk) when physically active patients (n=23) were compared with controls.
• All bone-related variables were markedly lower in patients than in controls (average difference of 13% for BMC and 7.6% for BMD).
• There were no prominent changes at the lumbar spine, pelvis and femur sites between physically active patients and controls.