There are a multitude of different "specific characteristics" for muscular dystrophy. This is because the disease is made up of a multitude of other diseases (roughly 30) that can start as early as childhood. Some will loose the ability to breath or swallow, while others won't be able to walk, however all of those affected by muscular dystrophy will be losing or have weakened muscle mass. The cause of Muscular Dystrophy comes from a defective gene that is most likely inherited but sometimes can pop up and form in the mothers egg or embryo as a random mutation. Chemically there are special genes that "are involved in making proteins that protect muscle fibers from damage." The disease occurs when one of these genes becomes "defective." There
