About Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy is a disease in which the muscles of the body get weaker and weaker and slowly stop working. Muscles and membranes need many different kinds of proteins to stay healthy. When you hear the word "protein" you might think of food because food, such as meat and peanut butter, contains protein. But we're talking about another kind of protein - the kind your body actually creates. Your genes tell your body how to make the proteins your muscles need. But in people with MD, these genes have wrong information or leave out important information, so the body can't make these proteins properly.
Without these proteins, the muscles break down and weaken over time. As this happens to muscles, people with MD begin to have problems with the way their bodies work.
There are thirty types of MD. In some types, muscle problems start when the person is very young. With other types, symptoms of MD start later, sometimes not until the person is a grown-up. This article talks about two types: Duchenne and Becker MD. Generally, only boys get Duchenne MD and Becker MD, but girls are affected by these types in rare cases and they may get other forms of MD.
Most children with MD have Duchenne MD. Children with Duchenne MD look and act just like other children when they're babies. But when they're between 2 and 6 years old, the muscles in their arms, legs, and pelvis (hips) begin to get weaker. First signs of weakness may be difficulty running, getting up stairs, or up off of the floor. A boy with Duchenne MD will have trouble walking and eventually will stop walking. The boy may have also trouble feeding himself, difficulty breathing, and trouble with his heart, which is a muscle.
Becker MD is very similar to Duchenne, except children with Becker MD may not have problems until much later, when they're teenagers or adults. It takes a long time for their muscles to become weak.
Information from – www.kidshealth.org
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Charity Links
Muscular Dystrophy Campaign - www.muscular-dystrophy.org
The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign leads the fight against muscle disease.
We provide free care and support for babies, children and adults affected by muscle disease, fund world-class research to find treatments and cures, provide grants towards equipment and campaign to raise awareness and bring about change.
