Muscular dystrophy is a group of genetic diseases that cause damage and weakness to your muscles over time. Muscular dystrophy is usually diagnosed during childhood, though it can occur at any age. Young boys are more likely to have this disease than girls. There are more than 30 different types of muscular dystrophy that will vary in symptoms and severity. The prognosis will depend on the type and the severity of symptoms, as well as the age of diagnosis.
Causes
There are certain proteins that are necessary for normal muscle function. When the genes that produce these proteins are defective, this can cause the symptoms of muscular dystrophy to occur—including problems with walking, swallowing, and muscle coordination.
The exact type of muscular dystrophy depends on which gene has mutated. This mutation can be inherited, or in some cases, the mutation can occur spontaneously in the mother’s egg or in the embryo. Doctors are not sure what causes this to occur, but once the gene has mutated, it is capable of passing the mutation on to future generations.
Risk Factors
Muscular dystrophy can occur in both sexes and across all ages, races, and ethnicities. However, there are certain risk factors that are associated with different types of muscular dystrophy. For example, Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common form of the disease. Duchenne is usually diagnosed between the ages of two and five and tends to occur much more often in young boys rather than young girls. Additionally, if you have a family history of any type of muscular dystrophy, you will be at a higher risk of developing the disease yourself or passing it on to your children.
Prevention
Though there is no way to prevent muscular dystrophy from developing, there are some things you can do to slow the progression of the disease. For example, if you have a family history of the disease, you may want to look into genetic counseling. This involves genetic testing performed during pregnancy in order to detect Duchenne muscular dystrophy before your child is even born. These tests are usually about 95% accurate. You can also get genetic testing for other types of muscular dystrophy that do not start to show symptoms until later in life. The advantage to receiving these tests is that you can begin treatment before you or your child ever starts to show symptoms, which can significantly slow the progression of the disease and increase the life expectancy as well.
There are many treatment options that work to prevent or reduce problems in the joints and spine in order to allow patients with muscular dystrophy to stay active and mobile for as long as possible. Common treatments include medication, physical therapy therapy, and surgery, if you have symptoms affecting your ability to breathe normally.
