Research…

{ February 8, 2010 @ 5:52 am } · { Uncategorized }

Muscular Dystrophy is a disease that can be passed on through generations. It is the progrssively weakening of muscles due tothe missing or wrong genetic information that make the body stops making protein that build and maintain muscles.

There are many different symptoms for different types of muscular dystrophies. Generally, the signs are:

1. Weakening of muscle
2. Coordination problems

There are nine main types of muscular dystrophy:

1. Myotonic
2. Congenital
3. Duchenne
4. Becker
5. Limb-girdle
6. Facioscapulohumeral
7. Oculopharyngeal
8. Distal
9. Emery-Dreifuss

1. Myotonic

It is also known as Strinert’s disease. It causes the muscle to be stiff and unable to relax as well as the signs mention in the general section. This dystrophy does not affect its carrier until adulthood though it can affect children too. The symptoms of adult-onset myotonic dystrophy are:

Weakening of different muscles

Feeling dizzy or fainting

Unable to get a good night sleep and feel sleepy in the day, unable to stay focus

Balding in men

Mild diabetes

Cataracts

2. Congenital

This type of muscular dystrophy is present in the victim since birth. Signs may include:

Serious weakening of muscles

Breathing problem

Swallowing problem

Cognitive impairment

3. Duchenne

The most severe type of dystrophy and most common among children. Most of the victims are young boys and the signs normally show at the ages 2-3. Symptoms includes:

Falling frequently

Large calf muscle

Having difficulty in running and jumping

Unable to get up from a sitting position easily

Mild mental retardation

4. Becker’s

It’s a less serious type of dystrophy. Most of the victims are male teenagers. The symptoms are similar to Duchenne, but the signs only show around an age of 11 or even later.

5. Limb-girdle

The muscle at the hip and shoulders area will be affected first, followed by the arms and limbs. The process is slow and it may start from early childhood to adulthood.

6. Facioscapulohumeral

it’s also known as Landouzy-Dejerine dystrophy. Signs are weakening of muscles at areas such as face, shoulders, stomach, feet, arms and pelvic area.

7. Oculopharyngeal

Signs normally start at the area around the eyes, follow by the face and neck, which causes breathing problem. This normally occurs to a middle age person.

8. Distal

The dystrophy starts between the age of 40 and 60. It involves muscle at areas such as hands, feets and other body parts that are furthest away from the main body.

9. Emery-Dreifuss

This form normally occurs in the shoulder and upper arms muscle. Feeling stiff at the spine area is also one of the signs and Emery-Dreifuss starts at early teens of males only.

Currently there is no cure doe the disease but medication is availableto slow down the process.

Opinion

through my research about the disease, i had learn alot more about the disease. i didnt know that there is so many types of muscular dystrophies and that some of them only affect the males. Also that the disease can start since birth.