Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - World Health

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Definition - One of nine types of muscular dystrophy, a group of genetic, degenerative diseases primarily affecting voluntary muscles.

Progression - DMD eventually affects all voluntary muscles, and the heart and breathing muscles.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an inherited disorder that involves rapidly worsening muscle weakness.

Causes
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rapidly-worsening form of muscular dystrophy. Other muscular dystrophies (including Becker's muscular dystrophy) get worse much more slowly.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by a defective gene for dystrophin (a protein in the muscles). Duchenne muscular dystrophy occurs in approximately 1 out of every 3,600 male infants.

Symptoms
Muscle weakness
Rapidly worsening weakness
Progressive difficulty walking
Abnormal heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
Loss of muscle mass (wasting)
Muscle contractures in the heels, legs

Readmore here http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000705.htm