Muscular dystrophies
The muscular dystrophies are a group of genetically determined diseases which cause wasting and weakness of muscles. The pattern of muscle involvement is characteristic and bilaterally symmetrical.
The modes of inheritance may be autosomal, dominant or recessive, or X-linked.
They encompass a spectrum of hereditary disorders leading to progressive and widespread muscle disease due to inadequate or absent glycoproteins in the muscle cell plasma membrane.
Muscular dystrophy affects approximately 1 in 5,000 individuals worldwide and can manifest at any age, although it is most frequently diagnosed during childhood.
Reference
- Lovering RM, Porter NC, Bloch RJ. The muscular dystrophies: from genes to therapies. Phys Ther. 2005 Dec;85(12):1372-88
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