Types of muscular dystrophy
October 18, 2008
Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disability which results in weakened muscles. The disorder adversely affects a person’s mobility. The faulty genes prevent their body from making protein that are essential for healthy muscles. The affected person gradually finds it difficult even to sit or walk. The early signs of Muscular dystrophy appear during early childhood, but often go unnoticed. In some people, the signs are seen only after reaching adulthood.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common type of the disorder. Here the trouble is with a gene that produces a protein termed dystrophin, the function of which is to maintain the vigour and vitality of muscle cells. In certain cases, heart is also affected. Usually, boys between the age of two and six are affected by this disorder.
Becker muscular dystrophy is yet another kind of this disorder, which also affects boys. In this case, the symptoms are less severe. People with this disease have breathing, bone, muscle, joints and heart problems. However, in this case the person will not be confined to wheelchair immediately. The symptoms of Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy gets initiated either during late childhood or early teenage. Here also, boys are the usual victims. This form of muscular dystrophy affects shoulders, upper arms and also heart muscles.
Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) affects both boys and girls and weakens the muscles of shoulder, upper arms, hips and thighs. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy also affects girls and boys alike. It usually makes its impact on facial and shoulder muscles. In certain cases, the leg muscle also loses strength. People with this disorder find it difficult even to close their eyes or raise their arms. In Myotonic dystrophy, muscles have difficulty in relaxing. In teens, this disorder gets characterised by muscle weakness and shrinking, along with cataract and heart problems. This disorder might result in learning disabilities as well.
Often, people with this illness gradually tend to be secluded from friends, especially as their friends may be moving around playing such games, which they badly want to play, but simply cannot. So, it is the responsibility of family members and friends to see to it that all games and other activities are planned in such a way that the affected person can also be part of it. He or she is, after all, the very same person; it is only that their movements are constrained.
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