Essay On Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular Dystrophy is a disease which leads to muscle weakness and loss of strength. This disease begins at an early age and symptoms appear during the early stages of childhood and it progressively destroys and deteriorates the muscles. Among the many types of Muscular Dystrophy, the most common and severe form is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is an inherited disorder and unlike other forms of Muscular Dystrophy, it is the one that develops and worsens quickly leading to lower life expectancy rates. This means that children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy do not survive early adulthood —their 20s. Due to this, those with the condition do not survive much of early adulthood because the complications develop rapidly. Furthermore, this disease affects 1 out of every 3,600 male infants and it particularly affects those who have a family history for the disease— since it is inherited (Goemans and Hauwae 2). Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is an …show more content…
Muscle weakness is one of the most common symptoms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and it begins at an early age, typically before the age of 6. It is also possible for some of the symptoms to appear during early infancy. During the early stages of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, weakness in the muscles begins in the legs, arms and shoulders; which quickly worsens and causes difficulty in walking as well as other movements. Eventually, the disease affects the chest and cardiac muscles which lead to breathing complications. These breathing complications and respiratory failure are usually the leading factors to the death of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patients. Due to muscle weakness, in the early stages of childhood, there is a delay in walking and also an enlargement of the calf