{"id":3552,"date":"2019-02-01T01:15:23","date_gmt":"2019-02-01T01:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=3552"},"modified":"2021-03-25T17:10:41","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T17:10:41","slug":"15-causes-of-muscular-dystrophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/15-causes-of-muscular-dystrophy\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Causes of Muscular Dystrophy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Muscular Dystrophy refers to particular genetic conditions that cause the muscles to gradually weaken. This leads to an increased level of disability over time. Muscular dystrophy is considered a progressive disease. This means that over time it gets worse. It will often start to affect a specific group of muscles and then affect the muscles more widely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some types of muscular dystrophy that will eventually affect the muscles used to breathe and even the heart. When this occurs the condition becomes life-threatening. No cure for muscular dystrophy has been found yet, but there are several ways that the symptoms of the disease can be managed through specialized treatments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since this is a genetic disorder, it can be difficult to note the exact cause of why some people develop certain types of muscular dystrophy. Here are 8 of the possible causes of developing muscular dystrophy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Inheriting Muscular Dystrophy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, muscular dystrophy is a genetic <\/a>disorder. Every person has two copies of each gene, except for the sex chromosomes. A person inherits a copy of a gene from one parent and another copy from their other parent. If one parent or both of the parents have a mutated gene that can cause muscular dystrophy, it can be passed on to their children. The type of muscular dystrophy that is passed on will depend on the type of mutated gene that is passed on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It could be a dominantly inherited disorder, a recessive inherited disorder, a sex-linked disorder, and in some cases, it can be caused by a genetic mutation that develops as a new event for a family line. There are many types of muscular dystrophy that a person may develop and the type that a person inherits and the way that it is inherited will affect the type of muscular dystrophy that the person develops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Recessive Inherited Disorders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A person who has a recessive inherited disorder has inherited an altered form of the gene that causes muscular dystrophy <\/a>from both of the parents. This means that both copies of the genes that were inherited have been altered. If a person inherits an altered form of the gene from a single parent they will be a carrier of this condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that they are not affected by the altered gene, but there is still a chance that any children that they have may suffer from muscular dystrophy if the partner that they choose also carries this gene. If both of the parents have the altered gene there is a one in four chance that their children will have muscular dystrophy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a one in four chance that they will either be healthy and carry the faulty gene from their mother, be healthy can carry the altered gene from the father, or will be healthy and not carry any mutated genes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Dominant Inherited Disorder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Muscular dystrophy that is a dominantly inherited disorder means that a mutated gene from a single parent can be inherited and cause you to be affected. This means that if you have a child with a partner who is not affected, there is still a fifty percent chance that your child may develop the condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several types of muscular dystrophy that are inherited in this way. Some of these include facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy, as well as some kinds of limb-girdle <\/a>MD. All of these are fairly common types of muscular dystrophy and are more easily inherited as only one parent has to carry the deformed gene in order for their children to develop this disorder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be passed down through the generations. However, since only one parent is a carrier, in this case, there is also a higher chance that the gene will not be passed to the children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Sex-Linked Disorder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chromosomes <\/a>are structures of DNA. Females have 2 X chromosomes and males have on X and one Y chromosome. Sex-linked disorders are caused by mutations in the genes located on the X chromosomes. Since males only have one copy of each of the genes on the X chromosomes, they are affected if one of the genes is mutated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Females have two copies of the X chromosomes, which makes them less likely to develop X linked conditions because the normal copy of this chromosome will often mas or cover up the altered version of the mutated gene. Females may still be affected by an x-linked disorder. However, the condition is typically not as severe as when the gene alteration occurs in the male.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the types of muscular dystrophy that are sex-linked disorders include Becker muscular dystrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. These conditions are more severe and occur more often in males. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Spontaneous Gene Mutations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On occasion, a spontaneous gene mutation may cause a person to develop muscular dystrophy. This happens when the genes mutate and there is no apparent reason for it to occur. When this happens the mutation causes a change in the ways that the cells <\/a>function. A spontaneous gene mutation can cause a person who does not have a family history of muscular dystrophy to develop the disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another cause for a child to develop muscular dystrophy without a family history of the disorder is when the condition is recessive. Gene mutations may have been present in both the mom and dad\u2019s side of the family for several generations and no one was affected until the child who inherited copies of the gene from both of the parents. This may seem like it was a spontaneous gene mutation, but in fact, was caused by an inherited gene mutation that had been dormant in the family for years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Dystrophin Production<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One form of muscular dystrophy known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by a specific mutation of the gene that encodes the protein dystrophin. Dystrophin is a cytoskeletal protein that makes up about 0.002 percent of the protein <\/a>found in the striated muscle. While this may not seem like a lot, it is essential for the overall function of the muscles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dystrophin is a part of a group of complex proteins that allow the muscles to work the way that they are supposed to. It helps to anchor different components of the muscle cells together and links them to the outer membrane. If the dystrophin is deformed or absent, the process will not work correctly. This causes disruptions in the outer membrane, which can weaken the muscles and also damage the cells of the muscles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People with Duchenne muscular dystrophy have almost no dystrophin and as less is produced, the worse the symptoms of the disease become. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Becker\u2019s Muscular Dystrophy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One common type of muscular dystrophy is called Becker\u2019s muscular dystrophy. This type of muscular dystrophy is inherited and it almost exclusively affects only men. Throughout the world, about one out of every 35,000 males is affected by this condition. This type of muscular dystrophy will usually appear in boys around the age of twelve. The cause is almost always inherited. Becker\u2019s muscular dystrophy is not as severe as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and it also progresses at a much slower rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the symptoms include heart disease, fatigue<\/a>, problems with thinking clearly, breathing issues, and issues with a curvature of the spine. The cause of this is a mutated gene that is often passed down through the mother. It can be passed to the child by both parents and this increases the risk of a child developing the issue. The mutated gene that is passed to the child is the main cause for this condition to develop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Separate Causes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are 30 muscular dystrophy diseases and each of these has separate causes. There is no cure for any of the diseases. There has been significant medical research done on the disease and this research has led to a better understanding of muscular dystrophy. This research has provided potential treatments for the condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to muscular dystrophy, early diagnosis is important. Diagnosis, before a child is three years old, is possible through blood tests, genetic testing, or a muscle biopsy<\/a>. A blood test will reveal high levels of creatine phosphokinase. Genetic testing can be done if the condition runs in the family to see if genetic changes have occurred in the child. A muscle biopsy will reveal any structural damage or changes to the muscle tissue. Electromyography can be performed to check on the health of the muscles and the nerves controlling them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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