DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY (DMD)
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What is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)?
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Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common muscle disease of childhood. One in every 3,500 newborn boys have Duchenne. Very rarely it also affects girls (approximately 1 in 50 million girls). It occurs across all races and cultures.
Symptoms of DMD usually appear between ages two and five years and may include difficulty: running, jumping, climbing and rising from the floor, frequent falls, enlarged calf muscles, toe walking and delays in language development. The first muscles affected are those around the hips and upper thigh. Weakness gradually progresses to include all the muscles used for movement (skeletal muscles), the muscles used for breathing and the heart. Young men with DMD usually die from heart or respiratory failure by their late 20s.
With improvements in care that have occurred in the past few decades, such as the provision of equipment to help with breathing, men with DMD are living much longer. For those living in low- and middle-income countries however, access to mobility aids and appropriate care can be a major barrier to optimal quality of life being achieved.
Symptoms of DMD usually appear between ages two and five years and may include difficulty: running, jumping, climbing and rising from the floor, frequent falls, enlarged calf muscles, toe walking and delays in language development. The first muscles affected are those around the hips and upper thigh. Weakness gradually progresses to include all the muscles used for movement (skeletal muscles), the muscles used for breathing and the heart. Young men with DMD usually die from heart or respiratory failure by their late 20s.
With improvements in care that have occurred in the past few decades, such as the provision of equipment to help with breathing, men with DMD are living much longer. For those living in low- and middle-income countries however, access to mobility aids and appropriate care can be a major barrier to optimal quality of life being achieved.
DMD Conference, Vietnam, April 2024 | |
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SMA Club Meeting, Vietnam, April 2023 | |
File Size: | 11417 kb |
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