Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - World Health

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Definition - One of nine types of muscular dystrophy, a group of genetic, degenerative diseases primarily affecting voluntary muscles.

Progression - DMD eventually affects all voluntary muscles, and the heart and breathing muscles.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an inherited disorder that involves rapidly worsening muscle weakness.

Causes
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rapidly-worsening form of muscular dystrophy. Other muscular dystrophies (including Becker's muscular dystrophy) get worse much more slowly.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by a defective gene for dystrophin (a protein in the muscles). Duchenne muscular dystrophy occurs in approximately 1 out of every 3,600 male infants.

Symptoms
Muscle weakness
Rapidly worsening weakness
Progressive difficulty walking
Abnormal heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
Loss of muscle mass (wasting)
Muscle contractures in the heels, legs