What is Muscular Dystrophy?
Overview: Muscular Dystrophy is a genetic disease, passed on through generations. Muscular Dystrophy is a blanket term used to describe many similar diseases. All these diseases are the weakening of muscles over time. The genetic code has missing or incorrect information which cause the muscles to weaken until the victim is incapable of taking care of his or herself. (BOARD, NP)
Life Expectancy: Life expectancy is different from person to person and throughout the different variations of the disease
("Teen's Health", Np).
At risk: Though it is possible to develop Muscular Dystrophy in adulthood, it is most common in children. Young boys are more at risk to develop the disease, where girls are more likely to become carriers. Once a girl is a carrier, she has a 50-75% chance of passing it on to her children ("Muscular Dystrophy Diagnosis" Np.).
People affected:There is currently a quarter of a million people living in the US with Muscular Dystrophy ("Teen"s Health", NP) Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common and the most severe form of MD. It affects about 1 out of every 3,500 boys. ("Kid's Health", Np)
The Cure: Right now, there is no cure for MD. The Muscular Dystrophy Association ( Also known as MDA), along with Doctors and Scientists, are all working towards a cure, but for now, they can only slow the progression of the disease. Being active and using physical therapy can help to ease the symptoms of MD. ("Muscular Dystrophy Diagnosis", Np) ("Kid's Health", Np)
Us: This cause is important to us because as we learned more, we realized how uneducated people are about a disease that affects many people across the globe. We wanted to spread the word about MD so people are both more aware and more sympathetic towards those affected. We hope to encourage others to be involved to provide support or donate to help find a cure.
Life Expectancy: Life expectancy is different from person to person and throughout the different variations of the disease
("Teen's Health", Np).
At risk: Though it is possible to develop Muscular Dystrophy in adulthood, it is most common in children. Young boys are more at risk to develop the disease, where girls are more likely to become carriers. Once a girl is a carrier, she has a 50-75% chance of passing it on to her children ("Muscular Dystrophy Diagnosis" Np.).
People affected:There is currently a quarter of a million people living in the US with Muscular Dystrophy ("Teen"s Health", NP) Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common and the most severe form of MD. It affects about 1 out of every 3,500 boys. ("Kid's Health", Np)
The Cure: Right now, there is no cure for MD. The Muscular Dystrophy Association ( Also known as MDA), along with Doctors and Scientists, are all working towards a cure, but for now, they can only slow the progression of the disease. Being active and using physical therapy can help to ease the symptoms of MD. ("Muscular Dystrophy Diagnosis", Np) ("Kid's Health", Np)
Us: This cause is important to us because as we learned more, we realized how uneducated people are about a disease that affects many people across the globe. We wanted to spread the word about MD so people are both more aware and more sympathetic towards those affected. We hope to encourage others to be involved to provide support or donate to help find a cure.