New questions about the muscular dystrophies

Despite recent advances in genetically diagnosing the many forms of muscular dystrophy (MD), questions about the selective nature of the gene expression still remain. MD is a group of genetically transmitted diseases. Certain skeletal muscles deteriorate over time in patients with MD. A review of the symptoms and methods of diagnosing some of the classical forms of MD such as Duchenne, Becker, Emery-Dreifuss, Facioscapulohumeral (FSH), Fukuyama, North African is presented. Doctors can now diagnose most of these forms of MD genetically. Most MD patients experience only mild pain associated with their disease. The muscle weakness associated with MD frequently results in certain joints losing their ability to move. Patients with Duchenne, Becker, a childhood form of MD (SCARMD2), or a form of MD present at birth all seem to lack one of a group of proteins associated with muscle development.