What are 5 symptoms of muscular dystrophy?

What part of the body does muscular dystrophy affect?

Muscles around the eyes and mouth are often affected first, followed by weakness around the shoulders, chest, and upper arms. A particular pattern of muscle wasting causes the shoulders to appear to be slanted and the shoulder blades to appear winged. Muscles in the lower extremities may also become weakened.

At what age does muscular dystrophy start?

Usually between 10–30 years of age, but ranges from birth to 70 years old.

What triggers muscular dystrophy?

In most cases, muscular dystrophy (MD) runs in families. It usually develops after inheriting a faulty gene from one or both parents. MD is caused by mutations (alterations) in the genes responsible for healthy muscle structure and function.

Can you have muscular dystrophy and not know it?

Muscular dystrophy is a group of diseases that make muscles weaker and less flexible over time. It is caused by a problem in the genes that control how the body keeps muscles healthy. For some people, the disease starts early in childhood. Others don't have any symptoms until they are teenagers or middle-aged adults.

Early signs of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy / eerste tekenen van Duchenne

What are usually the first signs of muscular dystrophy?

What can be mistaken for muscular dystrophy?

The diseases most frequently mistaken for muscular dystrophy were polymyositis and the syndrome of "benign hypotonia." Polymyositis, with its protean manifestations and variable course, may mimic all of the forms of muscular dystrophy so closely that differentiation becomes especially difficult.

What foods should I avoid with muscular dystrophy?

A good practice is to avoid processed foods, such as white bread, sugar, and pasta. Sugar-sweetened beverages, like carbonated drinks, coffee, and alcohol, are also not advised. In some instances, nutritional supplements may be required to fulfill the patient's daily nutrient needs.

Who is most likely to get muscular dystrophy?

Males are more likely to get BMD. The disease affects the hip, thigh and shoulder muscles, and eventually the heart. Approximately one out of 18,000 to 30,000 U.S. boys develop BMD. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD): FSHD is the third most common muscular dystrophy.

Can you live a normal life with muscular dystrophy?

Some people have a full life with muscular dystrophy and live as long as people who do not have it. Other people with muscular dystrophy have a reduced life span. Muscular dystrophies are a group of genetic diseases that affect the muscles.

Can you walk with muscular dystrophy?

Effects of Becker muscular dystrophy

Its features include: People with BMD can still walk at 16 years. Some can continue to walk until early adulthood or into advanced age. Many affected people may survive up to middle age.

What does muscular dystrophy look like in adults?

Head, neck, and face muscle weakness

A long, thin face with hollow temples, drooping eyelids and, in men, balding in the front, is typical in myotonic dystrophy. The muscles of the neck, jaw, and parts of the head and face may weaken, especially in DM1. Facial weakness is less common and milder in DM2.

Can muscular dystrophy go away?

There's currently no cure for muscular dystrophy (MD), but a variety of treatments can help to manage the condition. As different types of MD can cause quite specific problems, the treatment you receive will be tailored to your needs.

How does muscular dystrophy affect the legs?

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy

Limb-girdle MD refers to a number of related conditions that cause weakness in the big muscle groups at the base of the arms and legs (around the shoulders and hips). The first symptoms are often mobility problems affecting the hip girdle.

Does muscular dystrophy affect the eyes?

Congenital muscular dystrophies

Uncontrollable eye movements, nearsightedness, and glaucoma (damage to the nerve that connects the eyes to the brain) are common in this disease type. Many people with Walker-Warburg syndrome experience problems where the eyes are abnormally shaped or sized.

Does muscular dystrophy affect the brain?

Congenital muscular dystrophies (CMDs) are a wide group of muscular disorders that manifest with very early onset of muscular weakness, sometime associated to severe brain involvement.

How old can you live with muscular dystrophy?

Until recently, children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) did not often live beyond their teens. However, improvements in cardiac and respiratory care mean that life expectancy is increasing, with many DMD patients reaching their 30s, and some living into their 40s and 50s.

What are the 3 main diseases that affect the muscles?

Types of neuromuscular disorders include: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Multiple sclerosis.

What blood test for muscular dystrophy?

A sample of blood may be taken from a vein in your or your child's arm to test it for creatine kinase (a protein usually found in muscle fibres). When muscle fibres are damaged, creatine kinase is released into the blood.

What vitamins help with muscular dystrophy?

A multivitamin daily: containing the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, the B-vitamins and trace minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, and selenium. Calcium and vitamin D supplement: 1 to 2 tablets daily, for support of muscle and skeletal weakness.

Which vitamin is powerful in muscular dystrophy?

Vitamin D and calcium are essential for muscle and bone function. Decreased bone density is common in some forms of muscular dystrophy, and increasing vitamin D and calcium levels improved bone mass in some patients.

How do you slow down muscular dystrophy?

Your doctor might recommend: Corticosteroids, such as prednisone and deflazacort (Emflaza), which can help muscle strength and delay the progression of certain types of muscular dystrophy. But prolonged use of these types of drugs can cause weight gain and weakened bones, increasing fracture risk.

What is the most common muscular dystrophy in adults?

Myotonic MD

This is the most common adult-onset form of MD and usually affects people between 20 and 30 years of age, although it can also occur in children.

Does MRI show muscular dystrophy?

MRI imaging of muscle tissue may be useful for diagnosing muscular dystrophy. The technique also can be used to monitor changes in disease progression over time.

What is the most mild form of muscular dystrophy?

Distal Muscular Dystrophy

The disease progresses slowly and is considered a mild form of MD.