Diagnosis Your doctor is likely to start with a medical history and physical examination. After that, your doctor may recommend: There's no cure for any form of muscular dystrophy. But treatment can help prevent or reduce problems in the joints and spine to allow people with muscular dystrophy to remain mobile as long as possible. Treatment options include medications, physical therapy, and surgical and other procedures. Your doctor may recommend: Several types of therapy and assistive devices can improve quality and sometimes length of life in people who have muscular dystrophy. Examples include: Surgery may be needed to correct a spinal curvature that could eventually make breathing more difficult. Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this disease. Respiratory infections may become a problem in later stages of muscular dystrophy. It's important to be vaccinated for pneumonia and to keep up to date with influenza shots. Dietary changes haven't been shown to slow the progression of muscular dystrophy. But proper nutrition is essential because limited mobility can contribute to obesity, dehydration and constipation. A high-fiber, high-protein, low-calorie diet may help. A diagnosis of muscular dystrophy can be extremely … Continue reading →

Definition The muscular dystrophies (MD) are a group of more than 30 genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement. Some forms of MD are seen in infancy or childhood, while others may not appear until middle age or later. The disorders differ in terms of the distribution and extent of muscle weakness (some forms of MD also affect cardiac muscle), age of onset, rate of progression, and pattern of inheritance.DuchenneMD is the most common form of MD and primarily affects boys. It is caused by the absence of dystrophin, a protein involved in maintaining the integrity of muscle. Onset is between 3 and 5 years and the disorder progresses rapidly. Most boys are unable to walk by age 12, and later need a respirator to breathe. Girls in these families have a 50 percent chance of inheriting and passing the defective gene to their children. Boys withBeckerMD (very similar to but less severe than Duchenne MD) have faulty or not enough dystrophin.FacioscapulohumeralMD usually begins in the teenage years. It causes progressive weakness in muscles of the face, arms, legs, and around the shoulders and chest. It progresses slowly and can vary in … Continue reading →