An
inherited disease that causes increasing
weakness in
muscle tissue. If this happens in
skeletal muscles as normal, it can be
dehabilitating. If it happens in the
heart, it's time to start
day trading. MD usually happens in
cycles of
degeneration and
regeneration of tissue, with the muscle tissue becomming more and more composed of
scar tissue and
fat as prime flesh is degraded away.
Muscular dystrophy comes in a few flavors, but the most common is
Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy. It occurs once every 3,300 male births, and since it's on the X-chromosome, it strikes males almost exclusively. Symptoms begin to show after the first birthday: A child will start to walk with an abnormal gait, and has trouble getting up and lifting his knees, which prevents running. At the age of five, the calves are larger, and there is little or no knee-jerk reaction. Stairs become impossible, and by the time the boy reaches his teens, he can no longer walk. The disease spreads from the legs to the arms, then to the trunk, affecting respiration and the heart. Sufferers of Duchenne's rarely live to see 20.
There is currently no cure for the disease, although there are numerous treatments that include surgery, physical therapy, splints, and braces.
Thanks a lot to britannica.com for the info