Muscular dystrophy is a group of genetic disorders characterized by a progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. The most common form is Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which affects young boys and causes muscle weakness, difficulty walking, and breathing and cardiac problems. There is currently no cure for muscular dystrophy, but symptoms can be improved and progression slowed through treatments, while researchers are testing gene therapy as a potential cure.

1. Muscle Dystrophy
BY: AMBER POGREBA

2. What is Muscular Dystrophy???
• MD is a group of disorders characterized by a professional loss
of muscle mass and consequent loss of strength.
• Most form of MD is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This affects
young boys, but can occur in adulthood.
• Affects up to 1 in every 5,000 males.

3. Symptoms
INITIAL
• Pain and stiffness in muscles
• Difficulty with running and
jumping
• Walking on toes
• Difficulty sitting up and
standing
• Speech may be affected
L ATER
• Inability to walk
• Limiting movements
• Breathing problems
• Cardiac problems
• Difficulty swallowing

4. Causes
• Main cause is a lock of protein of dystrophin.
• Genetic mutations that interfere with production of muscle
proteins

5. Types of MD
• Duchenne- Start before 3 years old, wheelchair bound by 12,
and die from respiratory failure by mid- twenties
• Becker- similar to Duchenne, but slower and longer life (mid-
forties)
• Myotonic (Steinert’s Disease)- most common adult- onset form,
inability to relax a muscle as the other one contracted, face and
neck muscles are affected first
• Congenital- obvious from birth to age of 2, affects girl and
boys

6. More types of MD
• Facioscapulohumeral- most commonly seen in teenage years,
begins in shoulders and face, can’t fully close their eyes
• Limb- Girdle- Begins in childhood or teenage years, affects
shoulder and hip first, trouble raising the front part of the foot
(tripping a lot)
• Oculopharungeal- Onset between 40-70 years old, eyelids,
throat, and face are affected first, then shoulder and pelvis

7. Treatments
• No cure
• You can improve symptoms and slow the progression down,
but not fully cure it.
• They are testing on gene therapy. Gene Therapy is the
transplantation of normal gene into cells in place of the missing
or defective cells.

8. Video and Works Cited
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68YO2eh1bIY
• Newman, Tim. "Muscular Dystrophy: Causes, Symptoms, and
Treatments." Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 2
Jan. 2017. Web. 01 June 2017.