Muscle Disorders

Descripation:

The terms ’muscle disease’, ‘muscular dystrophy’, ‘neuromuscular conditions’ and ‘neuromuscular disorders’ all describe a large group of conditions which affect either the muscles, such as those in the arms and legs or heart and lungs, or the nerves which control the muscles.

Causes:

Causes of muscle disorders include

• Injury or overuse, such as sprains or strains, cramps or tendinitis
• A genetic disorder, such as muscular dystrophy
• Some cancers
• Inflammation, such as myositis
• Diseases of nerves that affect Muscle
• Infectious Diseases
• Certain medicines

Sometimes the cause is not known.

Symptoms:

  Symptoms vary with the different types of muscular dystrophy.
All of the muscles may be affected. Or, only specific groups of muscles may be affected, such as those around the pelvis, shoulder, or face. Muscular dystrophy can affect adults, but the more severe forms tend to occur in early childhood.
Symptoms include:
Intellectual disability (only present in some types of the condition)
Muscle weakness that slowly gets worse
Delayed development of muscle motor skills
Difficulty using one or more muscle groups
Drooling
Eyelid drooping (ptosis)
Frequent falls
Loss of strength in a muscle or group of muscles as an adult
Loss in muscle size
Problems walking (delayed walking)

Types:

Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited diseases that are characterized by weakness and wasting away of muscle tissue, with or without the breakdown of nerve tissue. There are nine types of muscular dystrophy, with each type involving an eventual loss of strength, increasing disability, and possible deformity.

The most well known of the muscular dystrophies is Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), followed by Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD).

Becker:Symptoms are almost identical to Duchenne but less severe; progresses more slowly than Duchenne; survival into middle age.

Congenital:Symptoms include general muscle weakness and possible joint deformities; disease progresses slowly; shortened life span.

Distal:Symptoms include weakness and wasting of muscles of the hands, forearms, and lower legs; progression is slow; rarely leads to total incapacity.

Limb-Girdle:Symptoms include weakness and wasting, affecting shoulder girdle and pelvic girdle first; progression is slow; death is usually due to cardiopulmonary complications.

Myotonic:Symptoms include weakness of all muscle groups accompanied by delayed relaxation of muscles after contraction; affects face, feet, hands, and neck first; progression is slow, sometimes spanning 50 to 60 years.

Atrophy:

Cramp: prolong painful involuntary contraction of skeletal muscles.

Fibrositis:inflammation of fibrous conective tissues in muscles.it also effect muscles of trunk and back.

Prevention:

Genetic counseling is advised when there is a family history of muscular dystrophy. Women may have no symptoms but still carry the gene for the disorder. Duchenne muscular dystrophy can be detected with about 95% accuracy by genetic studies performed during pregnancy.

 

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