Muscular Dystrophy – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Muscular Dystrophy – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments that many are still unaware of. In addition, Muscular Dystrophy  is a group of genetically-caused diseases characterized by a progressive degeneration of skeletal muscles .

Currently, more than 40 types of Muscular Dystrophy are known , which differ among themselves: at the age at which the first symptoms of Muscular Dystrophy appear (from birth, childhood, adolescence or adulthood); on the severity of these symptoms, on the speed of progression of Muscular Dystrophy , on the muscles that are preferentially affected and on the genetic inheritance mechanism.

In general, Muscular Dystrophy is considered rare, with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy being the most common form among them, affecting about one in three thousand boys.

Causes of Muscular Dystrophy:  Hundreds of genes are involved in producing proteins that protect muscle fibers from damage. Muscular dystrophy occurs when one of these genes is defective. Each form of Muscular Dystrophy is caused by a specific genetic mutation . Many of these mutations are inherited, but some can occur spontaneously in the mother’s egg or in the developing embryo.

Possible causes of Muscular Dystrophy include:

• Inadequate training or lack of essential proteins for the functioning of the muscle cell;
• Problems in metabolism that impair muscle nutrition;
• Endocrine gland dysfunction;
• Peripheral nerve deficiency.

Symptoms of Muscular Dystrophy:  Symptoms of Muscular Dystrophy begin to be noticed around 2 years of age. Children with Muscular Dystrophy  tend to tiptoe and fall and are rarely able to run. Then other signs of muscle weakness appear, such as:

• Difficulty going up and down stairs , jumping and getting up from the floor;
• At about 3 years of age, the child stops stretching and bending the knee;
• Difficulty performing tasks in which the arms have to be raised, such as washing or combing hair, reaching objects on high shelves;
• Difficulty using a pen or pencil;
• Lack of firmness to manipulate objects with the hands;
• Difficulty whistling and sucking straws due to weakness of facial muscles.
• In general, between 10 and 12 years of age the child needs to use a wheelchair to get around. By the time they reach adolescence, they are usually no longer able to walk.
• Breathing becomes shorter and shorter due to the loss of strength of the diaphragm muscle, the main respiratory muscle.

Treatment For Muscular Dystrophy:  There is no specific treatment that can stop or reverse the progression of any type of Muscular Dystrophy . All forms of Muscular Dystrophy are genetic and cannot be prevented.

Treatment for Muscular Dystrophy aims to keep the patient independent as long as possible and prevent complications resulting from weakness, decreased mobility, and heart and breathing difficulties. Treatment for Muscular Dystrophy  may involve a combination of actions like physical therapy , medication, and surgery.

How to Prevent Muscular Dystrophy:  There are no preventative methods for Muscular Dystrophy . The tips to prevent Muscular Dystrophy  consist of maintaining the treatment indicated by the doctors, along with all the indicated physiotherapy sessions , which vision improve the quality of life of the patient who has Muscular Dystrophy .

As Muscular Dystrophy has symptoms since childhood and is a genetic problem , hereditary history, studying and evaluating these issues can help in early diagnosis and when this happens, treatment for Muscular Dystrophy  can be started from an early age, bringing more effectiveness and quality of life for patients, from childhood, when  Muscular Dystrophy  appears.