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Muscular Dystrophy: Signs, Treatment and Care Considerations

What is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy?

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common form of muscular dystrophy among children. DMD most often is diagnosed when a child is 3 to 6 years of age and mainly affects males. Early diagnosis and treatment of DMD are very important.

Early signs of DMD include:

delay in walking
frequent falling
difficulty getting up from a sitting or lying position

With DMD, muscles become weaker over time. There are treatments that can help slow down weakening of the muscles, such as the use of steroids, but currently there is no cure for DMD.

A milder form of the disease is known as Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). The combined spectrum of these diseases is referred to as Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (DBMD).

What Is CDC Doing About Duchenne/Becker Muscular Dystrophy (DBMD)?

In 2001, through the Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance Research and Education Amendments of 2001 (the MD-CARE Act), Congress authorized Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop public health programs related to muscular dystrophy. In response to this act, CDC, along with key stakeholders in the muscular dystrophy community, have launched programs that focus on developing a DBMD tracking system, improving screening and diagnosis of DBMD, and improving services for people who have DBMD and their families.

From 2005 to 2009, CDC worked with 84 national and international experts around the world to evaluate health care treatments for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). These treatments can help doctors and caregivers provide better care for people with DMD.

In 2010, The Lancet Neurology published the experts' care considerations in two articles [PDF - 664KB]. A family friendly guide to the care considerations was also developed by the TREAT-NMD Neuromuscular Network. Download the TREAT-NMD family guide in English, Spanish, German, Russian, Bulgarian, Hebrew, Romanian, or Turkish.