By: Isabelle Masloski and Will Michels Period 4
Muscular Dystrophy is an inherited disorder where your muscles weaken and tissue is loss. It continually gets worse over time.
Guillaume Benjamin Amand Duchenne discovered Muscular Dystrophy. It was discovered in the 1860’s in Paris. He described 7 progressive muscle weakness in 13 young boys. It was later called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy after Benjamin.
Difficulty using one or more muscle groups Muscle weakness that slowly gets worse Frequent Falling Loss in muscle size No cure Treatment is used to prevent symptoms. Physical therapy can help keep muscle strength Braces improve mobility Staying active is key, bed rest could make the disease worse
Doctors use your past medical records and physical examines to determine if someone has muscular dystrophy and what type. Some types are: Becker muscular dystrophy Duchenne muscular dystrophy(most common in children) Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy Myotonic dystrophy(most common in adults) A Muscle Biopsy or DNA blood tests can affirm the diagnosis.
It is passed down through families by an affected gene. Different types are passed down different ways. Limb-girdle dystrophy is autosomal recessive Duchenne dystrophy is a defective gene carried by the female and transmitted to the male. Each type affects a different gene.
1 in 3 thousand children are born with Duchenne muscular disease. Average lifespan for those with Duchenne MD is about 20 years, but those with Becker MD can have a normal lifespan.
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