Muscular Dystrophy Paper

Autosomal recessive inheritance is the third type known to cause muscular dystrophy, whereas both parents are carriers of the defective gene. For this reason the offspring have a 25% chance of being affected with both malformed genes, resulting in them being affected. The chance increases with cousin marriages.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a disease which causes skeletal muscle to waste away, this wasting of muscle is caused by a mutation of the dystrophin gene (Meregalli et al., 2013, p. 4251).

Occurrence of muscle dystrophy is estimated to be one in 3-4,000 male births. There are also about 15,000 muscular dystrophy patients in the United States today with this disease. Those who have muscular dystrophy are missing the protein called dystrophin. Before scientists ever discovered the missing protein, the tested carriers for the disease had a high presence of elevated serum levels of creatine and phosphokinase. The disease can now be found for a prenatal diagnosis.

Duchenne muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is the most common out of nine types of muscular dystrophy. This genetic disorder causes progressive muscular weakness, and deterioration due to the lack of a protein called Dystrophin. This protein keeps the muscles in tack, so when it's missing, the muscles slowly break down. (MDA, 2015)

According to Green (2014) the (DMD) gene for dystrophin, which is a protein that is present in muscles, is the second largest gene. A deficiency of dystrophin results in the damage of muscle fibres, resulting in a loss of muscle functioning. This disorder affects mainly the legs and pelvic region of the body. However it could also affect the heart, the respiratory system, as well as rarely the brain. Duchenne

Ben has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). DMD is a degenerative disease of the muscles. When someone has this disease their muscles do not produce enough dystrophin to stay together. This causes the muscles to deteriorate over time. With proper care, the rate of muscle degradation can be slowed down. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. Muscle weakness can start as early as age three. It first affects the hips, pelvic area, thighs, and shoulders. This disease is still fatal and will be until further studies and research are done to find ways to cure this disease.

Imagine how it would be like if you can’t run and have to be in a wheelchair at a young age. You would face lot’s of difficulties like having to get up and walking. A rare disease called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy can do this to you. Duchenne is a disease with rapidly worsening muscle weakness. It is not very well know. Boys are more likely to have it them girls because boys don’t inherit a flawed dystrophin gene. This gene protects you from Duchenne.

Genetics is a key factor in potentially developing a form of muscular dystrophy, as it is caused by a gene that protects muscle fibers suddenly becoming defective. However, this particular genetic mutation can abruptly occur while an embryo is still developing in the egg of the mother. Muscular dystrophy can occur in an individual of any age, sex, or race. The most common form of MD diagnosed, Dechenne, is most often found in males of a youg age. However, family history of the disease is the biggest risk factor associated with developing it.

Overall, the lack of dystrophin in DMD individuals causes many problems in different aspects of metabolism. It has a massive effect on muscles, affecting the shoulders, hips, calves, thighs, pelvic area first. Like other muscular dystrophies, DMD affects the voluntary muscles first and then will progress into other muscles. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy is another type out of the many that affect voluntary muscles. Specifically, it targets the hips and shoulders.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a sex-linked disease, which is inherited in a recessive fashion (National Human Genome Research Institute, 2013). Over thirty similar genetic disorders exist (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015). All types of muscular dystrophy are considered to be a rare disorder (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015). Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is most common in children and causes muscle weakness and wasting, which commonly begins in the lower limbs (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015; National Human Genome Research Institute, 2013). The disease itself is caused by changes to the DMD gene, which is responsible for providing instructions regarding the creation of the dystrophin protein in one’s muscles (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015). This protein is responsible for protecting muscles from damage, and without it the cells of a person’s muscles deteriorate and symptoms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy are exhibited (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015). The disease results from changes in the DMD gene, or other genetic changes in a child (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015).

Nowak KJ, & Davies KE. (2004). Duchenne muscular dystrophy and dystrophin: pathogenesis and opportunities for treatment. EMBO Reports, 5(9), 872-876. doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400221

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a sex-linked disease, which is inherited in a recessive fashion (National Human Genome Research Institute, 2013). Over thirty similar genetic disorders exist (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015). All types of muscular dystrophy are considered to be a rare disorder (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015). Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is most common in children and causes muscle weakness and wasting, which commonly begins in the lower limbs (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015; National Human Genome Research Institute, 2013). The disease itself is caused by changes to the DMD gene, which is responsible for providing instructions regarding the creation of the dystrophin protein in one’s muscles (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015). This protein is responsible for protecting muscles from damage, and without it the cells of a person’s muscles deteriorate and symptoms of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy are exhibited (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015). The disease results from changes in the DMD gene, or other genetic changes in a child (Duchenne Foundation Australia, 2015).

Each strain of muscular dystrophy is created by a genetic mutation distinct to that type. Duchenne’s has an absence of dystrophin, a protein that aids in keeping muscle cells together. Most of the mutations in the genes are inherited; some happen randomly in the mother’s egg (oocyte) or the developing embryo. Also, the mutations are able to be passed to the next generations.

Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a genetic disorder caused by incorrect or missing genetic information that leads to the gradual weakening of the muscle cells. Various causes lead to weak and deteriorating muscles depending on the type of muscular dystrophy the patient was affected by. However, there are many causes for muscular dystrophy due to the fact that there are thirty forms of muscular dystrophy, which are categorized under several categories. All are ultimately caused by autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant, sex-linked, and random mutations in very rare cases.

The coexistence of the uncommon disease known as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or DMD, has come to the attention of many and has manifested within this document to generalize the history, impact, and significance of the disease. The history of DMD stemmed from the progressive muscular dystrophy of two 10-year-old boys names Conte and Gonji in 1836. Since this becoming the first historical account of such a disease, many doctors and specialists speculated a more catastrophic form of tuberculosis; when revisited by scientists it was concluded that they suffered from the milder Becker MD. In 1852, Meryon reported in striking points of interest a family with four young men, every one of whom were influenced by huge muscle changes, however had no