Muscular Dystrophy

What it is… Muscular Dystrophy is a family of hereditary disease that cause progressive and steady muscle weakening. Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy, (which are just 2 forms of MD) alone affect approximately 1 in every 3,500 to 5,000 boys.

Forms of MD (Muscular Dystrophy) Duchenne-is the most common childhood form of muscular dystrophy. Early signs of Duchenne, usually occur between the ages of 2 and 6. Becker- Is a less servere version of Duchenne with the earliest signs found between the ages of 2 and 16. These 2 are the most common forms of MD.

The others.. Congenital MD- Includes Sciolosis and learning disabilities. Distal MD- A less severe MD, usually found between ages Emery-Dreifuss MD- Can cause heart problems and deformities. Patients usually die from sudden death because of weakening of cardiac muscles. Facioscapulohumeral MD- A very mild form of MD. Limb-Girdle MD – Wasting of the shoulder girdle and pelvic girdle. Sudden death can occur due to cardiac complications. Myotonic MD- Wasting of the muscles around the feet, face, hands, and neck. myotonia (difficulty or total incapacity of relaxing a muscle at will after a contraction). Oculopharyngea MD- Decay of the neck and eye muscles. Causes droopy eyelids and difficulty of swallowing, resulting in malnutrition.

Signs of MD/ Tests to diagnose MD Curved Spine (Sciolosis) Joint contractures (clubfoot or clawhand) Low muscle tone (Hypotonia) Drooling Frequent falls Problems walking Eyelids dropping Difficulty using 1 or more muscle groups Loss of muscle mass, which may be hard to see because some types of muscular dystrophy causes a build-up of fat and connective tissue that makes the muscle appear larger. ECG- Electrocardiography EMG- Electromyography CPK- Kinase

Treatments Devices Canes Wheelchair Braces Walkers Ventilators Pacemakers Surgery Tendon release Scoliosis surgery

Other treatments Medications Anti- Inflammatory Cortocosteriod- Regulates inflammation of muscles Prednisone- which increases muscle strength Miscellaneous Anabolic steroids Supplementation Physical therapy

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