Muscular Dystrophy
by jmmillerMuscular Dystrophy is a crippling disease that causes its victim to lose strength and control of their muscles. Children with MD are missing genetic information that helps them to produce the proteins needed to build and maintain muscles.
Over time, they will lose their ability to sit up, feed themselves, or even breathe easily. Symptoms of MD may show as early as infancy, or in some cases, not until adulthood. They severity and onset age depends on the type of MD the child is diagnosed with.
Most children with MD will develop normally in the first few years of their life. Gradually, worrisome symptoms may appear. Children who were able to sit upright, walk, or crawl, may begin to have trouble performing these activities. They may begin to stumble, or become unable to hold their own weight.
If you suspect that your child might have Muscular Dystrophy, it is important to have them examined by your family physician. Although no cure is known at this time, the disease can often be managed through physiotherapy and ongoing exercise. This will not cure the symptoms, but will help to alleviate the discomfort and help your child to lead a more independant lifestyle.
The type of treatment usually depends on what parts of the child’s body are affected, and how severely. Treatment may change each time the child enters a new phase of the disease. Because it is a degenerative disorder, muscle is constantly being replaced by fat as it degenerates. Treatment will focus on slowing down this breakdown of muscle and on keeping the joints as flexible as possible.
Related: