Duchenne muscle dystrophy

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms • Myopathic gait
• Difficulty in everyday movements e.g. Walking, running, stepping
• Dilated muscles
• Progressive muscle degeneration
• Frequent falls
• Progressive inward spinal curvature
• Wasted muscles
• Joint contractures
• Cardiomyopathy
• Intellectual impairment


The symptoms of the muscular dystrophy in boys may appear as early as infancy. Commonly, the initial prominent symptom is the delay of motor milestones. The mean age for walking in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy is around 18 months. There is progressive muscle weakness of the legs and pelvic muscles, which is associated with a loss of muscle mass. Muscle weakness occurs more severely in the lower half of the body compared to the other parts.
Calf muscles enlarged cosmetically and the enlarged muscle tissue is thereafter replaced with fat and connective tissue. Muscle contractures occur in the legs, making the muscles incompetent because the muscle fibres shorten and fibrosis occurs in connective tissue. From time to time, there may also have pain in the calves.
Commonly, symptoms already appear in young boys aged 1 to 6. By age 10, the muscle strength of the boy might decline so much that braces may be required for walking, and by age 12, most boys are confined to a wheelchair. Skeletal deformities of the spine and other areas may also result due to the bone growing abnormally.
Muscular weakness and skeletal deformities contribute to breathing disorders. Cardiomyopath, which literally means heart muscle disease, occurs mostly beginning in the early teens for some, and in all after the age of 18 years. Intellectual impairment may occur, but it is avoidable and does not worsen as the disorder progresses.
Breathing complications and cardiomyopathy are common causes of death and sadly, few individuals with this dysfunction live beyond their 30s.

posted by Kiwi @ 12:56 AM