Muscular dystrophy is a childhood disease that is quite debilitating. According to the CDC, the prevalence of muscular dystrophy was 1 in every 7.250 males ages 5-24 years. This disease mostly affects Non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics. Childhood muscular dystrophy is a serious disease that can have an enormous impact on life. Read below to find out more about this disease and how to treat it.

What is muscular dystrophy?

Muscular dystrophy is a disorder that weakens the muscles. It is caused by genetic defects like missing information that prevents the body from make the proteins it needs to build and maintain strong and healthy muscles. Children who develop muscular dystrophy normally have trouble walking, and this muscle weakness can transfer to important functions like breathing and swallowing. Sitting upright and moving arms and hands are also difficulties that these patients may showcase.

What are the types of muscular dystrophy?

Muscular dystrophy is an umbrella term for different types of muscular dystrophy. The most common types of muscular dystrophy are Duchenne and Becker. However, there are a few other types that you should be aware of as well.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy – This is the most common form of muscular dystrophy. The prevalence of duchenne is about three times higher than Becker. It makes the body’s muscles weaker at a gradual pace. Duchenne is caused by a lack of dystrophin, a protein responsible for helping to keep the shape and lengthen muscle cells.

Becker Muscular dystrophy – Causes less severe symptoms than duchenne as there are some dystrophin proteins present, but still less than normal muscle composition. Therefore, there is some muscle function, but not enough for normal muscle function.

Myotonic dystrophy – This form of muscular dystrophy is also known as Steinert’s disease. It is the most common form of adult form of muscular dystrophy, even though most are diagnosed by the age of 20. The most common symptoms are muscle weakness, myotonia (muscles struggle to relax after contraction), and muscle wasting.

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy – Equally affects boys and girls, and usually starts when kids are between 8 and 15 years. This type of muscular dystrophy progresses slowly and affects the pelvic, shoulder, and back muscles. This type of muscular dystrophy has varying levels of severity, affecting some greatly, while only being mild in others.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy – This, too, affects both boys and girls, with symptoms normally appearing during teen years. It tends to progress slowly, with muscle weakness affecting the face. Movements like closing eyes, whistling, and puffing out cheeks becomes difficult or impossible. The shoulder and muscles also gradually become weak, with kids having difficult lifting objects overhead. This weakness may also progress down to legs and pelvic muscles.

What are signs of muscular dystrophy?

The first symptoms of muscular dystrophy take a few years to appear. Motor development is normal for children during their first few years of life. However, after a while, they start to have trouble with normal movement milestones like walking. They waddle, instead, and may toe walk. Difficulty with stairs is another common symptom of muscular dystrophy. Getting up from a seated position is another difficulty that children with muscular dystrophy may have, as well as pushing things like a wagon or a tricycle. Children with muscular dystrophy may also have a condition called calf pseudohypertrophy, or calf enlargement, as muscle tissue is destroyed and replaced by fat.

Muscular dystrophy is diagnosed through a series of different exams. After checking for normal developmental milestones, physicians will perform physical exams and take a family history to rule out muscular dystrophy or any other similar diseases. Other exams may also include a blood test to measure the levels of serum creatine kinase which is an exam that is released into the bloodstream when muscles are breaking down. If there is a high number, the that means that something is causing muscle damage.

Physicians may also check the blood when doing a DNA, or genetics test to look for defects. Muscle biopsy is another option which is what happens when the doctor surgically removes a small sample of muscle and looks at it under the microscope. In a patient with muscular dystrophy, it will look abnormal and have low levels of dystrophin.

Is muscular dystrophy treatable?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for muscular dystrophy. However, physicians have developed new procedures for delaying the onset, and helping patients extend the amount of time in which they are not, or are minimally affected by their disease. Doctors work with patients to improve joint function and slow their muscle deterioration.

In order to help individuals with muscular dystrophy, a team of physicians in different specialties is required. These specialties include neurologists, orthopedists, pulmonologists, physical and occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, cardiologists, registered dieticians and social workers. As the disease progresses and different organs are affected, different specialities will be involved in the treatment team.

However, in the early stages, interventions like bracing, medications, and physical therapy are often used. These interventions can help to maintain muscle tone and help make the joints flexible. Adding extra support can help extend the amount of time that children can walk independently.

In extreme cases, surgeries, like spinal fusions, may be necessary if the spine is too weak to support the body. Spinal fusion can reduce pain and the curvature of a scoliotic spine so that children can sit upright and comfortably in a chair. This surgery also helps reduce the effect on breathing and only requires a short hospital stay.

If your child gets to the point where they are so debilitated that they and your family need extra support, you may contact Diverse Health Services. DHS has childcare support home health that can provide an array of duties such as cooking, bathing, lifting/transporting, and more. Please click the Child Care Services link under our services tab to see the ways that DHS can help you and your family today.

[Sources]

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/muscular-dystrophy.html

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/musculardystrophy/data.html