muscular+dystrophy

=Muscle Dystrophy = =Symptoms = Muscular dystrophy is also called MD. It is inherited from your parents and causes muscle weakness. The symptoms of this disorder are delayed development in motor skills which are an order of muscle movements, frequent falling, difficulty of moving different muscles at one time, and drooling. Symptoms also include delayed or trouble walking, loss of muscle or shrinking muscles as an adult.

There is mental retardation in only a few kinds of muscle dystrophy (there are many kinds of muscular Dystrophy). You may even have a curved spine or low muscle tones, you may have a bad heart because this disorder affects the heart as well.

Duchene Muscular Dystrophy has the worst level of symptoms. It mostly occurs in young boys and is the most common in children. Symptoms first begin to occur in ages two to three. Later in childhood, most are unable to walk. Some also suffer from a curvature of the spine, and die in their 20's or 30's.

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**﻿ ****Causes ** DMD is caused by a defect in the X chromosome. Females have two X Chromosomes and males have one. While women are generally protected because they have a second X chromosome, males do not. Females can carry and transmit the decease but are generally not affected by it. Males typically do not live long enough to pass the gene on to future generations. While rare, some women do have MD.

**History ** A French doctor Guilaume and British doctor Edward Meryon first discovered Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by using a microscope between the years 1860 and1900. Later between the years 1930 to 1960 doctors realized that the X chromosome was the link of inheritance pattern for DMD. During 1960 to 1975 it was discovered that the DMD defect was located in the nerves system and muscles.

There is currently no cure for DMD. Current treatments include physical therapy designed to help the person walk and function for as long as possible. Medications are used to help with muscle spasms and to help control muscle function. Unfortunately, most people with Muscular Dystrophy don't live long enough to become famous. However, a famous comedian, Jerry Lewis, hosts a telethon every year to raise money for research against MD.

**Treatments ** Medications known as a group called Corticosteroids have been found to slow the course of DMD. Surgery is sometimes used to change deformities that limit mobility or become painful. Braces can be used on the legs, hands, and arms to provide support and keep tendons stretched.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Researchers are studying gene therapy that may eventually help or cure DMD. They are also testing proteins inserted into muscle fibers to see if they help control spasms. All of this testing is currently being done on animals and not humans right now.

=<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Credible Sites = "Facts about Duchenne & Becker Muscular Dystrophyies", published by Muscular Dystrophy Association in 2008, []

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