Osmotic fragility of erythrocytes in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Osmotic fragility of erythrocytes was studied in ten Duchenne dystrophic patients and eight healthy controls. Lysis started in Duchenne crythrocytes at a concentration of 6.5 g/l NaC1 and in the control erythrocytes at a concentration of 5.5 gIl NaCI. At all concentrations of sodium chloride (from 6.5 g/l to 4.5 g/l) significantly greater lysis was observed in the erythrocytes of dystrophic patients. The median corpuscular fragility (MCF) was also significantly greater in Duchenne patients as compared to their controls (P < 0.001). The increased osmotic fragility in Duchenne erythrocytes provides an evidence in support of the probable generalized membrane defect that manifest the disease (JPMA 34 : 12 7: 1984).