Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular Dystrophy has been a part of my life since I could remember. My older brother was diagnosed at the age of 2 and had a big impact on my life. He passed away at the age of 16 but beats the odds that the doctors had given him. John was a person that lived his life till the very end and for that he is the reason I push myself harder each day.

Muscular Dystrophy has been around since the 1800s. It affects a greater amount of men rather than women. Women pass down the gene but doctors aren't quite sure how it is formed. Most of the victims affected by muscular dystrophy suffer from muscle weakness, vision and speech problems, and cognitive impartment. My brother happened to be affected by the disease. It doesn't only affect the larger muscles in your body but effects internal and external. There are at least 15 other forms of muscular dystrophy. There are exactly nine major diseases that are life threatening.

The disease of course is recognized by some signs and symptoms. Poor balance is one of the key elements to muscular dystrophy. My parents noticed the poor balance John had while he often chased me trying to beat me up. Every other step he would struggle to catch up with his steps so my parents thought it was only right to check what was going on. These conditions are generally inherited, and the different muscular dystrophies follow various inheritance patterns. The diagnosis of muscular dystrophy is based on the results of the muscle biopsy. Muscle tissue is often sort which cause muscular dystrophy to expand into greater diseases such as cancer.

Although there isn't a cure yet, most of the children affected by the disease have to take multiple antibiotics for the muscles to stay strong. In most cases of muscular dystrophy the bottom half of the body is affected first. This includes movement of the legs, and feet. John stopped walking at the age of 8 but to contract his muscles to not give up; he was seen every day by a physical therapist. Secondly, the top half of the body goes. Which includes the arms and the hands but in some cases the neck can be affected as well. John's neck was strong till the very end. Lastly, the internal body collapses. What sets this off is by an infection or sickness that was contagious. Pneumonia is what usually causes the death; which is sad because living with the disease for so long and not even being killed by it but rather a sickness. Once pneumonia hits a patient with muscular dystrophy it means the end. The lungs in the body collapse and fluids start to run in which cause breathing to be hard. Air is then pumped into the body but it is already too late.

While writing this research paper I found myself in tears. Everything was a flash back. Muscular Dystrophy is no disease to taken lightly; just like cancer. It took a precious life away from me. It wasn't very easy for me to write this paper but I would like to inform people of the danger