Muscular Dystrophy

Question 1

Muscular dystrophy is the largest, most GENERAL group of muscle disease in childhood.

Answer 1

Muscular dystrophy is the largest, most GENERAL group of muscle disease in childhood.

Question 2

What is the prognosis for muscular dystrophy?

Answer 2

Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease that is progressive in disease process.

Pts diagnosed at a younger age will progress further in their younger years. If diagnosed later in life, then progression happens in older age (kind of a duh lol)

-Muscular dystrophy diagnosed younger than the age of 7 is known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy
-Muscular dystrophy diagnosed past the age of 7 is known as Becker’s muscular dystrophy.

Question 3

What are s/s of muscular dystrophy?

Answer 3

-progressive muscular weakness/wasting
-contractures
-calf muscle hypertrophy
-waddling gate
-Gower’s Sign- when a pt pushes up from the floor using dominantly his/her hands rather than legs
-lordosis/scoliosis
— diagnoses made later in life may present as respiratory or cardiac failure possibly leading to death