When the body cannot produce the
protein called Dystrophin, the condition may lead to a severe muscular damage
and weakness. The prevalence of this deficiency has increased significantly,
with number of people noted to be affected with this problem, which is found to
be further weakening the chief muscular functions of body, resulting into
muscular dystrophy. Furthermore, depending upon the extent of damage and the
location affected, Muscular Dystrophy can be categorized into many different
types, holding several different symptoms, such as damaged as well as weakened
muscles, problems in walking, swallowing, muscular coordination, etc. Till now,
more than 30 different types of muscular
Unfortunately, there is no
permanent cure or effective way to fulfill the requirement of dystrophin, as of
now the only available treatment modalities for the same can be noted as
physiotherapy and implementation of some supportive equipment, such as braces,
wheelchair, etc. However, certain treatment like Stem Cell Therapy is quite
helpful to an extent to improve the quality of life by reducing overall
dependability, stopping the disease progression and attaining symptomatic
relief from the problem.
Different types of muscular
dystrophies can be noted as:
Duchene muscular dystrophy: This is the common type of muscular
dystrophy. Generally, boys are more affected rather than girls. Although this
disease is actually inherited, about one-third of boys with Duchene muscular
dystrophy don't have a family history of the disease, possibly because the gene
involved may be subjected to sudden abnormal change or mutation as a result of
external and internal factors.
Signs and symptoms that can be
relevant to the DMD may include:
• Frequent falls
• Difficulty getting up from a lying or
sitting position
• Trouble running and jumping
• Waddling gait
• Walking on the toes
• Large calf muscles
• Muscle pain and stiffness
• Learning disabilities
Becker muscular dystrophy: While, signs, and symptoms are similar
to those of Duchenne muscular dystrophy; the disability can be linked with
milder outcomes along with relatively slower progression of disability. The
symptoms generally start to be expressive during the teenage, but are usually
noted by the mid 20’s.
Limb-girdle Dystrophy: In this type of Muscular Dystrophy, hip and
shoulder muscles are usually affected. People with this type of muscular
dystrophy may have difficulty lifting the front part of the foot and so may jaunt
frequently. Its onset usually begins in the childhood or the teenage.
Myotonic Dystrophy is also known as Steinert’s disease, and is
identified as the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults. It affects
both men as well as female equally and the symptoms are generally expressed any
time between early childhoods to adulthood till 40’s. The symptoms can be
related to the myotonia, causing abnormally prolonged spasm and/or stiffening
of the muscles after use. The disease may as well affect the central nervous
system, heart, gastrointestinal tract, etc. Although, daily living is not
affected, those with Myotonic dystrophy have decreased life expectancy.
Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy (FSHD): The kind of muscular dystrophy is linked with
the facial muscles, muscles of the shoulder blades, and upper arm bones. This
kind of muscular dystrophy is expressive during teenage to early adulthood,
affecting both males as well as females equally. The severity of the disease
can be mild to complete disabling, affecting the ability to chew, swallow, and
speech.
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