Muscular dystrophy is an inherited disease. It is characterized by progressive weakness of the muscles which control movement. There are a variety of dystrophies and the inheritance pattern varies with each type. Most of the dystrophies affect young children. Type The major forms of MD include myotonic, Duchene, Becker, congenital, oculopharyngeal limb-girdle, facioscapulohumeral, distal and Emery-Dreifuss.
Duchene muscular dystrophy: Duchenne Dystrophy is the most common dystrophy that occurs in children and has a sex-linked recessive inheritance. All the voluntary muscles of the body are involved in the dystrophic process, some more and some less. This means it affects boys, and females are carriers of the disease for example the muscles involved in chewing food are least affected while respiratory muscles are involved late in the disease. Limb girdle muscles are most involved. As life advances these children loose various functions. First, walking is affected, later they find difficulty in rising from sitting posture. Soon they take to the wheel chair. Though their brain functions normally, the muscles slowly keep deteriorating, and pretty soon independent existence becomes impossible. The life span of these children is cut short and they usually die around 16-20 years of age.
Symptoms:Treatment: There is no specific treatment to cure or halt muscular dystrophy. Physical therapy, exercise, orthopedic appliances (such as braces and wheelchairs), or corrective orthopedic surgery may help to preserve muscle function and prevent joint contractures as much as possible and improve quality of life.