Variable effects of corticosteroid treatment of serum enzyme activities in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.

Corticosteroid administration on alternate days to five boys with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) lowered the high serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities in three, caused no change in one, and increased these activities in one. These observations indicate that, as given, this therapy can partially normalize a major biochemical abnormality of this disease in some but not all patients with DMD.