General Description
What is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and where does it come from? Firstly, it is a kind of muscle dystrophy. The word dystrophy refers to when an organ or tissue wastes away. A muscle dystrophy is a group of many inherited disorders that cause loss of muscle tissue and weakness in muscles. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness caused by a defective gene for dystrophin, a protein in the muscles, and founded by French neurologist Guillaume Benjamin Amand Duchenne in the late 19th century.
Duchenne MD is the most common muscle dystrophy. Due to the way the disease is acquired, it generally influences young men. It is conceivable …show more content…
The blood test used to reach this diagnosis is called a creatine phosphokinase test. A blood sample is taken from a vein in the body and tested for CPK levels. Muscle tissue injury is most likely. When a muscle is damaged, CPK leaks into the bloodstream. Determining which specific form of CPK is high helps doctors determine which tissue has been damaged. As symptoms begin to appear between ages 2 and 6, the child will usually need regular monitoring by a team of healthcare professionals. As the full effect of the disease worsens and begins to emerge during the teen and young-adult years, the sufferer may need to be hospitalized or receive hospice care. In the later stages of the disease, most sufferers are completely disabled and require around the clock care. Most sufferers pass away, however with close and patient care, some can live to see their thirties. However it goes, this disease is ultimately …show more content…
The steroid prednisone is given to enhance the quality and capacity of people with DMD. Prednisone has been indicated to delay the capacity to stroll by 2 to 5 years. Then again, the conceivable symptoms of prednisone incorporate weight increase, hypertension, conduct changes, and deferred development. Active recuperation is utilized to advance versatility and avert contractures. However, there is no known cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Treatment aims to control symptoms to improve quality of life. Steroid drugs can slow the loss of muscle strength . They may be started when the child is diagnosed or when muscle strength begins to decline as shown in a study by Dennis J. Mathews. He gathered 49 boys between the ages of 12 and 15 and observed them over a 7 year period. Eighteen were treated with the steroid Prednisone, 12 with deflazacort, and 19 recieved no treatment at all. The results were that boys in the steroid groups were significantly more functional and performed better on all tests than boys not treated, however, there was no significant difference between the two steroid treated groups. He stated that the usage of steroids in Duchenne muscular dystrophy prolonged ambulation and upper limb function with similar