CHILDHOOD MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

CHILDHOOD MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

Overview and Facts

Childhood muscular dystrophy (MD) is a medical problem that dynamically incapacitates the body’s muscles. It’s caused by faulty genes that hinder the body from making the proteins that are expected to develop and maintain healthy muscles.

A child who has MD gradually loses the ability to do things like walk, sit up, stand, breathe in successfully, and move the arms and hands. This failure can provoke other medical issues.

There’s no solution for muscular dystrophy. Medicines and treatment can help regulate symptoms and moderate the course of the disease.

Types and Symptoms

Types

There are nine types of muscular dystrophy:

  • Myotonic
  • Duchenne
  • Becker
  • Limb-girdle
  • Facioscapulohumeral
  • Congenital
  • Oculopharyngeal
  • Distal
  • Emery-Dreifuss

Symptoms

The principal sign of muscle dystrophy is muscle weakness. Signs and symptoms begin at different ages and in different muscle groups, dependent upon the type of muscular dystrophy.

 

Duchenne type muscular dystrophy

This is the most common type of muscle dystrophy. Signs and symptoms may appear in early childhood and may include:

  • Frequent falling
  • Trouble rising up from a lying or sitting up position
  • Problems in running and jumping
  • Waddling step
  • Walking on toes
  • Large lower leg muscles
  • Learning problems
  • Muscle stiffness

Diagnosis & Medications

Diagnosis

Your doctor will obtain a complete medical history and do a physical examination.

He or she may recommend:

  • Protein tests. Damaged muscles release synthetic substances, for instance, creatine kinase (CK), into your blood.
  • A needle is implanted into the muscle to be tested
  • Genetic testing. Blood sample can be used to examine changes in genes that lead to muscular
  • Muscle biopsy. A sample of muscle can be removed
  • Heart-monitoring tests (electrocardiography and echocardiogram). These tests are used to check heart function
  • Lung These tests are used to checking if the lung works.

 

Treatment

There’s no exact treatment for muscular dystrophy. Treatment can help prevent problems in the joints and spine to empower people with muscular dystrophy to remain flexible. Treatment choices include drugs, physical and speech therapy, and other methodologies.

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