Muscular Dystrophy;types and characteristics

5 June, 2008 (13:21) | tips, Health | By: admin

Muscular Dystrophy: A disease of the muscular system characterized by weakness and atrophy of the muscles of the body. The disease is progressive and remission does not occur.
The rate of progression is different for each set of muscles.

TYPES OF MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY:
Duchenne: Occurs primarily in males and presents itself between the ages of 3 and 7 years.
This type of muscular dystrophy is most common and most severe. This type affects the pelvic girdle and then moves to the shoulder girdle.

Facioscapularhumeral: The most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults. This type affects both genders equally. Appears in adolescence but is not usually diagnosed until adulthood. Characterized by progressive weakness of the shoulder muscles and weakness of the face muscles. Life span for individuals with this type is normal.

Limb-Girdle: Occurs anytime from age 10 and on. Both genders are equally affected. Early symptoms include difficulty in raising the arms above shoulder level or difficulty in climbing
stairs. Initially muscle weakness is either in the shoulder girdle muscles or the hip and thigh
muscles.

CHARACTERISTICS OF MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY:
• Tendency to tire quickly
• Postural changes due to progressive muscle weakness
• Waddling gait with legs far apart
• Walking on tip toes
• Gower’s sign (moving to all fours and then “climbing up the legs” when changing
from a prone to standing)
• Tendency to lose fine manual dexterity
• Pseudohypertrophy particularly in the calf muscles
• Lack of motivation because of limitations