Muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy is a group of disorders that affect the muscles. There are multiple types of muscular dystrophies. The disorder is characterized by muscle wasting and weakening.
Symptoms
Muscular dystrophy may appear in the first months of life, develop later in childhood, or emerge in adulthood. The main symptoms are as follows:
- Muscle pain and cramping
- Stiffness and loss of flexibility
- Involuntarily contractions
This is followed by a gradual difficulty with walking and a loss of coordination of movements.
In addition to symptoms that affect the limbs, some people can have, among other disorders, heart problems, breathing difficulties, or speech disorders.
Causes
Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder. This means that one or more genes that ensure the proper functioning of certain muscles are defective.
It is also an inherited disease. For some forms of muscular dystrophy, only one of the two parents needs to carry the defective genes for it to be passed on. For other forms, both parents must be carriers. People who carry these genes do not necessarily have the disease themselves.
Treatment
Follow-up care, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, is strongly recommended. Physiotherapist-recommended adapted exercises help slow down joint stiffness and maintain muscle strength for as long as possible. The occupational therapist provides solutions to facilitate daily activities, particularly through the use of assistive devices (adapted tools).
Medications may also be prescribed to relieve a variety of symptoms of the disease. Finally, recently discovered gene therapies are promising, but only for a limited number of people. This is because their effectiveness depends on the specific type of dystrophy and the genes involved.