What is Muscular Dystrophy?

Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a disorder in genetic that causes the muscles helping the body move weaker and weaker gradually. This is caused by a abnormal gene, however, different forms of mutation in genetic will lead to different type of MD. In particular, a genetic inadequacy in muscle protein (dystrophin) is the cause of numerous common kinds of MD. Oddly, boys are more susceptible to muscular dystrophy than girls.

MD doesn't make the muscle weak all at once; the process is rather gradual over time. This leads to the gradual loss of necessary abilities for grownups, teens and even children. As a matter of fact, some types of MD can be observed in childhood, while many others may only appear when a person reaches his/her middle age.

Kinds of Muscular Dystrophy:

Overall, we can spot nine forms of MD according to the range of time that the symptoms first appear, the muscles location, and how fast the symptoms progress. Several of the major kinds of MD are:

- Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): This is one of the more common form of MD, and it is caused by a misfunction in the procedure of producing dystrophin (a type of protein). If the process is completed correctly, this protein will build the muscles solid and stay in shape. Hence, without the protein, an individual will become very vulnerable as the muscles crumble. Unfortunately, people suffering from DMD often die before they fully grow up.

- Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FMD): the primary difference between FMD and DMD is that FMD symptoms often come out when a person is in his/her early years. Bit By Bit it causes the legs, arms, chest and face muscles weaker and weaker; nonetheless the symptoms can also vary from person to person.

- Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy (MMD): a person with MMD often finds its symptoms when they have become adult. This type of MD causes difficulty for the muscles to loosen up, therefore sometimes make the muscles shrink over time. It can also result in heart troubles if the patient does not have medical care in time.

Diagnosing Muscular Dystrophy:

Because MDs are passed on from generation to generation, oftentimes it is needed to check the patient's family history of muscle malfunctions very carefully to get an accurate diagnosis. Besides, a thorough physical examination and some other exams will help decide the kind of MD that the person has, as well as the correct treatment for the disease.

Is there a treatment for MD? As much as we hate to acknowledge, there has been no specific therapeutic to any type of MD. There are, nevertheless, treatments to decelerate the progress of MD. These treatments will help reduce the spine deformities, control the muscle activities, delay damage to the muscle, etc. Also, medications like quinine, phenytoin or mexiletine can sometimes be used to treat myotonio, but they are not good for long term purpose.