Chamberlain, 2002), which leads to muscle degeneration. Most forms of MD start in early childhood. in the group of disorders, dystrophinopathies are the most common. These include, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy otherwise known as DMD and Becker Muscular Dystrophy, BMD. Both of these result in the mutation of the Dystrophin gene, in addition to DMD and BMD, genetic mutations in other genes are responsible for several other Muscular Dystrophies. The dystrophin gene is a major gene on the x chromosome, resulting in MD being more common I males as they only have one copy of the dystrophin gene while females have two, effectively leading to 1 out of every 3500 males being born with MD (Stefan Kochanek, 1995). Early Symptoms that may be seen in some Muscular Dystrophies are; pain and stiffness in the muscles, difficulty with running and jumping, walking on toes, difficulty sitting up or standing, learning disabilities, such as developing speech later than usual, and frequent falling. Some of the later symptoms that are more likely when the person has had the disease for a longer period of time may be; the inability to walk, the shortening of muscles and tendons limiting movement, breathing difficulty, and in some circumstances breathing can get so severe, assisted breathing may be necessary, and also difficulty swallowing with a risk of aspiration pneumonia (Tim Newman, 2017). Currently there are no treatments to cure Muscular Dystrophy, however, there are medications to help reduce pain, and special aids such as therapy and surgeries to help maintain some function of the muscle for longer. While many of the different MDs have vastly different symptoms, most of them have quite short life expectancies. For Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the life expectancy can be as short as early
Chamberlain, 2002), which leads to muscle degeneration. Most forms of MD start in early childhood. in the group of disorders, dystrophinopathies are the most common. These include, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy otherwise known as DMD and Becker Muscular Dystrophy, BMD. Both of these result in the mutation of the Dystrophin gene, in addition to DMD and BMD, genetic mutations in other genes are responsible for several other Muscular Dystrophies. The dystrophin gene is a major gene on the x chromosome, resulting in MD being more common I males as they only have one copy of the dystrophin gene while females have two, effectively leading to 1 out of every 3500 males being born with MD (Stefan Kochanek, 1995). Early Symptoms that may be seen in some Muscular Dystrophies are; pain and stiffness in the muscles, difficulty with running and jumping, walking on toes, difficulty sitting up or standing, learning disabilities, such as developing speech later than usual, and frequent falling. Some of the later symptoms that are more likely when the person has had the disease for a longer period of time may be; the inability to walk, the shortening of muscles and tendons limiting movement, breathing difficulty, and in some circumstances breathing can get so severe, assisted breathing may be necessary, and also difficulty swallowing with a risk of aspiration pneumonia (Tim Newman, 2017). Currently there are no treatments to cure Muscular Dystrophy, however, there are medications to help reduce pain, and special aids such as therapy and surgeries to help maintain some function of the muscle for longer. While many of the different MDs have vastly different symptoms, most of them have quite short life expectancies. For Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, the life expectancy can be as short as early