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Muscular dystrophy is a condition where multiple genetic diseases combine, causing severe muscle loss and weakness in an individual’s body. Although multiple therapies are available to curb the severity of muscle dystrophy, no definite treatment is well-proven to cure the disease permanently. Therefore, it becomes vital to recognise the symptoms of the condition to ensure better management.
Muscular dystrophy represents a group of disorders that gradually causes muscle loss and degeneration. It can affect various muscle groups depending on their type. Medical researchers have established the existence of more than 30 types of muscular dystrophy that can permanently inhibit muscle coordination.
Based on the prevalence, we have listed eight types of muscular dystrophy that are commonly found:
As many as eight muscular dystrophy types occur commonly worldwide. Each has its own set of symptoms.
People who suffer from this disorder usually get used to a lifestyle in their teenage years where they must use a wheelchair for moving. The most common symptoms are:
Due to recent advances in neuroscience, patients diagnosed with DMD can live up to their late 30s with proper respiratory and cardiac healthcare.
More common among male children at the time of birth, the symptoms progressively appear when the person ages between 11 and 25. The symptoms are almost similar to Duchenne muscular dystrophy, except their effects are less detrimental.
Some early-stage symptoms of BMD or Becker muscular dystrophy include:
The life expectancy of patients with BMD can be estimated well into their middle ages, given they receive optimal medical support.
Commonly referred to as LGMD, it results in quick loss of muscular mass, particularly from the hip and shoulders.
Some frequent signs of this disease include:
The following symptoms are related to the insufficient development of motor functions in a child below 2 years of age:
Depending on the number of active symptoms and their severity, the lifespan of people developing congenital muscular dystrophy varies significantly.
Those who develop myotonic muscular dystrophy cannot relax their muscles after contraction. It is a rare disorder not experienced by patients who develop other forms of muscular dystrophy.
Internal muscles that may get affected by myotonic dystrophy include:
Early symptoms are often observed in the affected individual’s neck and facial muscles. These include:
The primary muscles affected by OPMD are those present in our neck, shoulders and face. Major symptoms include:
Complications appear in childhood, and just like other types of muscular dystrophy, EDMD is common among male children at birth.
The signs are as follows:
Distal muscular dystrophy, a collection of 6 different diseases, affects people aged between 40 and 60. People diagnosed with distal myopathy experience the following symptoms:
Muscular dystrophy causes are given below:
Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder. As a result of this event, dystrophin production gets hampered and thus, muscle development stops. Therefore, most of the risk factors for this condition are genetic.
Doctors cite three common inheritance patterns in patients who suffer from muscular dystrophy:
Medical practitioners follow a set procedure to identify symptoms related to dystrophy. First, they suggest a general physical examination and ask specific questions to the family regarding signs of concern and family medical history.
After these procedures, the doctor prescribes the following medical tests:
Doctors will recommend a course of action based on the type of muscular dystrophy. Although there is no permanent cure, by applying a combination of treatment techniques, medical teams can significantly reduce the suffering of affected individuals.
Some common treatments include:
Apart from the therapies described above, the doctors prescribe several medicinal recommendations to curb the disorder's effects along with Specific injections to boost dystrophin production.
Additionally, blood pressure medicines may be necessary if the affected individual is suffering from heart problems. Doctors can also add a daily dose of creatine supplements to stabilise muscle strength over time.
Surgery is also seen as a viable solution by doctors in cases the patient suffers from cardiac issues or has trouble swallowing.
As there is no cure for this condition, a concerned individual must try adopting a few lifestyle habits to manage the disease in the long run. These consist of the following:
One must consult a specialist if or when the symptoms worsen. It is thus essential to know the possible signs and symptoms in order to identify them in case of a severe condition. For instance falling more often, finding it difficult to stand, along with breathing trouble and heart ailments, they should immediately consult a doctor.
Despite a permanent cure, people with muscular dystrophy continue to live a healthy life until their middle ages as therapies slow down the symptoms effectively. In addition, recent medical advancements worldwide may reverse the effects of muscular dystrophy soon as researchers are trying to find ways of restricting genetic mutations. Hence, families need to know the symptoms well to tackle this disease early on and ensure their child's good quality of life.
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Disclaimer #2: This information is added only for informative purposes and collected from different sources across the Internet. Digit Insurance is not promoting or recommending anything here. Please verify the information before making any decisions.
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