The Probert Encyclopaedia of Medicine

DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common form of muscular dystrophy, and is transmitted by an X-linked recessive trait. Only males are affected and only females are carriers that pass the trait on. The disorder cannot be detected by amniocentesis. It affects about 1 in 10,000 boys. Symptoms of the disorder begin to appear in early childhood between the ages of two to six years. The pelvic and leg muscles are affected first. The child is slow in learning to sit up and walk. Progressive and rapid weakening of the muscles results in frequent falls, difficulty in climbing stairs, difficulty in getting up from the floor, and an awkward gait. Sometimes a curvature of the spine is associated with the disorder. Despite their weakness, the muscles appear unusually large and firm (psuedohypertrophy). At about early adolescence affected children are no longer able to walk. Children with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy are prone to chest infections and heart disorders due to progressive weakening of those muscles. Few sufferers survive into their teenage
years.
Research Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy