MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY By Jasmine DeLong

INHERITANCE Muscular dystrophy is a hereditary condition marked by progressive weakening and wasting of the muscles. The change in the gene that causes muscular dystrophy happens with the X chromosome. A male receives an X chromosome from his mom and a Y chromosome from his dad. The X chromosome may have the changed gene that can cause muscular dystrophy. Females almost never have muscular dystrophy because they receive two X chromosomes. Even if a female has one X chromosome containing the muscular dystrophy gene, her second X chromosome usually will make enough dystrophin to keep her muscles strong. Because a female can carry one muscular dystrophy mutation and not be affected, she is referred to as a carrier. Being a carrier, a female does have a risk of passing the same mutation on to her children. Each son born to a carrier female has a 50% chance of inheriting the muscular dystrophy mutation and having the disease. Each daughter born to a carrier female instead has a 50% chance of inheriting the DBMD mutation and becoming a carrier like her mother. Although most males diagnosed with this condition are known to have received the mutation from their mothers, about one-third of cases are the result of a new mutation in which the mother is not a carrier. Rather, the new mutation happened randomly in the fertilized egg. In these cases, it is unlikely that other children of that same couple will be affected similarly by muscular dystrophy.

SYMPTOMS Signs usually appear between ages 2 and 3 and may include: Weakness in muscles Frequent falls. Difficulty getting up from a lying or sitting position. Trouble running and jumping. Waddling gait. Walking on the toes. Large calf muscles. Muscle pain and stiffness. Learning disabilities.

TREATMENT There is no definite treatment or cure for any type of muscular dystrophy. However, a treatment has been performed where Stem Cells (cellular building blocks) are administered intravenously and subcutaneously (under the skin) in Muscular Dystrophy patients. The entire procedure takes approximately one hour and has no known negative side effects. Medications and therapy can slow the course of the disease. Human trials of gene therapy with the dystrophin gene are on the near horizon.

LIFE EXPECTANCY Muscular dystrophy does decrease ones life expectancy. Depending on what type of muscular dystrophy the person has affects the length of their life span. Certain types of muscular dystrophy such as Distal Muscular Dystrophy does not affect a persons life span at all.