Objective: We investigated if Growth and Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15) can be used as a biomarker to distinguish patients with mitochondrial myopathy from patients with other myopathies.
Methods: Serum GDF-15 was measured in 28 patients with mitochondrial disease, 24 with metabolic myopathies, 27 with muscular dystrophy and 21 healthy controls.
Results and conclusions: Our findings indicate that elevated GDF-15 can distinguish patients with mitochondrial myopathy from other myopathies, including metabolic myopathies. This suggests that increases in GDF-15 is specific to respiratory chain dysfunction rather than general metabolic dysfunction or muscle defect.
Keywords: Exercise; Growth and differentiation factor 15; Metabolic myopathy; Mitochondrial myopathy; Muscular dystrophy.
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