Muscular Dystrophy
Bailey Blue
What Is It?
This is a genetic muscle disease due to a low amount of protein that is known as dystrophin, it makes it to where when cells are being built they interfere with the proteins that are being created and makes the muscle unhealthy. This causes a loss of the muscle mass and makes the body's muscle weaker and can begin to affect the body.
How Do I Know I Have It?
- Trouble doing simple activities like running, jumping and getting up after sitting
- Falling very frequently
- Muscle pain and stiffness
- Large calf muscles
- Walking on the toes and waddling when walking
Causes and Risks?
Causes:
- When the cells in the muscles are being created then the defective genes make the cells creation a lot harder because they cannot create good protein muscle mass
- Genetic mutation in the cells so it is inherited most of the time
Risks:
- Occurs in any age and race
- Most common development is in younger boys
- Family history, parents can have the disease or be carriers and the child can form the disease
- It is very uncommon to die from muscular dystrophy unless it begins to affect breathing problems or problems pumping the heart correctly
How does it affects you the most?
- People sometimes have complications walking and begin to need wheelchairs
- Weaker muscles make it harder to support the spine
- Heart can be affected due to muscles not being able to pump and regulate blood flowing
- If severe enough it can cause problems with swallowing because the glands cannot contract
- Breathing problems, a ventilator may be needed at nigt
Little Known Fact...
In the past couple years they have had a breakthrough technology to treat muscular dystrophy. It takes about an hour to be administered under the skin where they give you stem cells that will try to repair the bad cells to help rebuild the muscle mass. It will also try to help strengthen the good cells so they can be more support for the body.