Muscular Dystrophy
This impacts the muscle system
What is Muscular Dystrophy?
Muscular Dystrophy is a condition that affects the muscles and the muscle proteins that the muscles make to be healthy. It can also have an affect on the bones by making them brittle and easier to break.
Muscular Dystrophy is Just Part of Their Lives - The Markell Family - Our Special Life - Episode 5
How does this affect me if I have this?
Your life might be affected by Muscular Dystrophy because you might need help doing certain things. The muscles in the body are affected the most because they lack the proteins they need to be healthy. A child without Muscular Dystrophy will have no trouble sitting up and walking around. A child with muscular Dystrophy might have trouble doing these things and might use a wheelchair to get around.
What are the types and who does it affect?
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or DMD
DMD mostly affects boys but very rarely affects girls also. It affects 1 in 3,500 and 6,000 births.
Becker Muscular Dystrophy or BMD
BMD also affects boys like DMD and is similar to DMD.
Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy or EDMD
EDMD affects boys again but can also affect girls as well and the girl in the video above has this form of Muscular Dystrophy.
Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy or LGMD
LGMD affects boys and girls equally and a boy with this type there will most likely be a girl as well.
Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy or FSHD
FSHD affects boys and girls as well too.
Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy or MMD
MMD can affect teens of both genders.
What makes it happen?
MD is a genetic disorder because something goes wrong in the DNA when a baby is conceived and lacks the proteins it needs for healthy muscles.
How would I be diagnosed?
MD can be diagnosed by doing tests to see how the nerves and muscles are working in the body. A doctor can also take a muscle biopsy. That is when a small piece of muscle is taken out of the body and looked at under a microscope. Along with these tests to diagnose, a person can also have genetic testing to see if they have a certain type of Muscular Dystrophy.
What are the symptoms?
Some of the symptoms are;
* falling frequently
* a waddling gait
* weakness in the limbs
* sitting up and standing up with difficulty
* muscle pain
Is there a cure?
There is no cure for MD but one is being made. According to Gene Therapy Treating Disease by Repairing Genes "Researcher have developed a mouse model for DMD..." to find a cure using gene therapy. People with Muscular Dystrophy can have physical therapy and or occupational therapy to slow the disability down. It can't stop it but will slow it down. Other treatment options are; surgery , braces for the legs, and respiratory aids.
What is the prognosis and life expectancy?
A person with Muscular Dystrophy can live for a long time if they get the proper care that they need. A child with DMD will until 20 if they do not get the proper care they need. A person can live a normal life that is a little different from other people's. They might need respiratory aids and a heart specialist to help with their heart to be healthy and not fail on them.
Connections
I found out about Muscular Dystrophy when I came across a short six minute video on YouTube. I saw a girl that is now 15 or 16 today who has Muscular Dystrophy. She was an inspiration to me. I found this video last year or so and when the health project came I already knew what disability or disease I wanted to do.