Muscular Dystrophy: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

What Is Muscular Dystrophy?

Muscular dystrophy is a group of diseases that make muscles weaker and less flexible over time. It is caused by a problem in the genes that control how the body keeps muscles healthy. For some people, the disease starts early in childhood. Others dont have any symptoms until they are teenagers or middle-aged adults.

How muscular dystrophy affects you or your child depends on the kind. Most peoples condition will get worse over time, and some people may lose the ability to walk, talk, or care for themselves. But that doesnt happen to everyone. Other people can live for many years with mild symptoms.

U.S. Children's Medical Needs, by the Numbers

Racing champ Jeff Gordon's focus on children's health comes at a crucial time. The number of U.S. children with chronic health conditions has risen dramatically in the past four decades, according to a study published last June in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Some of the study's findings: Of 80 million children in America, about 8% (6.5 million) have chronic conditions that interfere with regular daily activity, says study author James M. Perrin, MD, professor of pediatrics...

Read the U.S. Children's Medical Needs, by the Numbers article > >

There are more than 30 kinds of muscular dystrophy, and each is different based on:

People usually get one of nine major forms of the disease:

There are many treatments that can help keep muscles strong and flexible, and scientists are looking for new ones, too.The important thing is to get the treatment you need and find support.

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Muscular Dystrophy: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment