Corticosteroid treatment in muscular dystrophy patients brings with it side effects such as delayed puberty onset, and compromised growth.
Testosterone treatment has been well established for the treatment of delayed puberty in patients with chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and cystic fibrosis.
Testosterone is a popular adjuvant therapy which can help to address patients’ concerns regarding short stature and pubertal delay, but it doesn’t come without its side effects related to pubertal induction. Controlled studies are needed to determine in greater detail whether there is a genuine efficacy and acceptability for testosterone in boys with pubertal delay with DMD.
