What is Muscular Dystrophy?

To begin, muscular dystrophy is a group of genetic diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system. As a result this affects a person’s ability to walk. These are genetic conditions and can be inherited as well.  Some types of muscular dystrophy will present symptoms in early childhood, while other types will appear in adulthood. Muscular dystroph  affects different muscle groups . Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy are 2 most common forms.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common form of childhood muscular dystrophy. It generally appears in 3-to 6-year-old boys and worsens rapidly. Becker muscular dystrophy, on the other hand, has symptoms similar to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. However ,symptoms most commonly begin in the teens to mid-20s and progress slowly.

Other health problems commonly associated with muscular dystrophy include the following:

• Heart problems.
• Scoliosis.
• A lateral/sideways, curvature, rotation of the backbones (vertebrae), giving the appearance of leaning to one side.
• Obesity.

Symptoms

Muscular dystrophy is usually diagnosed in children between 3 and 6 years of age. Early signs of the illness include a delay in walking and difficulty rising from a sitting or lying position. Furthermore frequent falling, with weakness typically affecting the shoulder and pelvic muscle are one of the initial symptoms too.

The following are the most common symptoms of muscular dystrophy:

• Pain and stiffness in the muscles
• Clumsy movement
• Difficulty climbing stairs
• Repeated falling
• Unable to jump or hop normally
• Tiptoe walking
• Leg pain
• Facial weakness
• Inability to close eyes or whistle
• Shoulder and arm weakness
• The curvature of the spine
• Wasting of thigh muscles
• Abnormal enlargement of the calves
• Limbs drawing inward and becoming fixed in position
• Enlargement of the heart
• Learning disabilities, such as developing speech later than usual
• Difficulty swallowing, with a risk of aspiration pneumonia.

Causes

Muscular dystrophy is usually an inherited condition caused by a mutation in one of the genes that affect proteins in the muscles. This mutation causes the protein to be missing or altered so it doesn’t work correctly.

Each type of muscular dystrophy is caused by a different mutation. For  instance, a defective gene for dystrophin, a protein that helps keep muscle cells intact, is what causes Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy.

For the less common forms of muscular dystrophy, researchers are trying to find the specific gene defect that causes the disease. While most forms of muscular dystrophy are inherited, a few types originate in a spontaneous gene mutation.

Treatment

To date, there is no known treatment, medicine, or surgery that will cure muscular dystrophy, or stop the muscles from weakening. The goal of treatment is to prevent deformity, allowing function as independently as possible.

Muscular dystrophy is a progressive condition needing life-long management to prevent deformity and complications. Furthermore, walking and sitting often becomes more difficult as the child grows. In addition to this, by the age of 12, the child needs a wheelchair because the leg muscles are too weak to work.

Heart or lung problems occur by the late teenage years or into the early 20s. Management includes focusing on preventing or minimizing deformities. In addition to this, maximizing the child’s functional ability at home is taken care of.  Furthermore Management of muscular dystrophy is either nonsurgical or surgical. Nonsurgical interventions may include:

• Physical therapy
• Positioning aids used to help the child sit, lie, or stand
• Braces and splints used to prevent deformity, promote support, or provide protection
• Medications (research trials may help advance treatment)
• Nutritional counseling
• Psychological counseling

Regency Healthcare keeps you updated and provides useful resources on health awareness topics. Keep watching this space to learn more.