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February 13th is the first day of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week. Here are some facts on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy:

• It is one of the nine types of muscular dystrophies
• Duchenne muscular dystrophy was first described by French neurologist, Guillaune Benjamin Amand Duchenne in the 1860’s.
• It is an inherited disorder
• It is caused by an absence of dystrophin, a protein that bonds the muscle cell
• It is characterized by progressive muscle degeneration
• It occurs in about 1 out of every 3,600 male infants
• Risks include a family history of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• Symptoms start appearing between the ages of 3-5.
• By the age of 12, most males affected may lose their ability to walk
• Breathing difficulties and heart disease usually start by the age of 20
• Very rare are females affected by the disease.
• Early symptoms include muscle weakness in the hips, pelvic area, thighs and shoulders.
• By teen years, the heart and respiratory muscles are affected.
• Duchenne muscular dystrophy carriers are females with one normal dystrophin gene on one x chromosome and an abnormal dystrophin gene on the other x chromosome
• Most carriers do not show any signs or symptoms.
• Affected children may have delayed motor skills including sitting, standing and walking.
• Survival into the early 30’s is becoming more common due to advances in cardia and respiratory care.
• Duchenne is associated with a heart disease that weakens the cardiac muscle
• Between 400 and 600 boys in the United States are born with these conditions each year.
• there are a few cases which results from new mutations in affected males
• steroid drugs can slow the loss of muscular strength
• There is no known cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy