Becker's muscular dystrophy (BMD) is associated with abnormal cardiac findings in 75% of cases; up to one third will develop ventricular dilatation leading to
congestive heart failure, at times necessitating cardiac transplant. Candidates are selected from a base of
heart failure patients who are usually New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV. Treatment in a phase II
cardiac rehabilitation program after
transplantation is associated with functional improvement in patients without BMD, but there are no reports of patients with this disorder. We present the case of a 38-year-old man diagnosed with BMD with associated
dilated cardiomyopathy. The patient was a NYHA class IIIa and underwent orthotopic
cardiac transplantation for intractable
heart failure followed by treatment in a phase II
cardiac rehabilitation program. At the end of
cardiac rehabilitation, his 12-minute walking distance had improved from 716.28 to 929.64 m (30% improvement), he had increased his conditioning metabolic equivalent level from 3.5 to 5.5 (55% improvement), he had a
weight loss from 81.65 to 78.93 kg, and his body mass index changed from 23 to 22 kg/m2. The patient now has returned to work, is using a stationary bicycle once a day for 30 minutes, and is walking 1 hour a day. This suggests that treatment in a
cardiac rehabilitation program is effective in patients with BMD after cardiac transplant.