Duchenne muscular dystrophy
neuromuscular disease characterized by rapidly progressive muscle weakness and wasting due to degeneration of skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of muscular dystrophy predominantly affecting males. The onset of muscle weakness typically begins around age four, with rapid progression. Initially, muscle loss occurs in the thighs and pelvis, extending to the arms, which can lead to difficulties in standing up. By the age of 12, most individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy are unable to walk. Affected muscles may appear larger due to an increase in fat content, and scoliosis is common. Some individuals may experience intellectual disability, and females carrying a single copy of the mutated gene may show mild symptoms.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by mutations or deletions in any of the 79 exons encoding the large dystrophin protein, which is essential for maintaining the muscle fibers' cell membrane integrity. The disorder follows an X-linked recessive inheritance pattern, with approximately two-thirds of cases inherited from the mother and one-third resulting from a new mutation. Diagnosis can frequently be made at birth through genetic testing, and elevated creatine kinase levels in the blood are indicative of the condition.
While there is no known cure, management strategies such as physical therapy, braces, and corrective surgery may alleviate symptoms.
The public source identifies “Duchenne muscular dystrophy” as neuromuscular disease characterized by rapidly progressive muscle weakness and wasting due to degeneration of skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Duchenne, muscular and dystrophy.
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This entry incorporates text from “Duchenne muscular dystrophy” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.