Muscular dystrophy - Signs and symptoms

Generally, symptoms occur before age 5.
Children who suffer from muscular dystrophy have trouble walking, climbing stairs, lifting arms overhead or lifting from the ground.Normally, muscle atrophy affects basin first, then reaches shoulder muscles. As the weakening of the muscles, they grow in size by replacing fat with muscle fibers (pseudohipertrofie).
In some forms of muscular dystrophy, the disease becomes debilitating in adolescence, the patient was immobilized in a wheelchair. Note the changes of the spine (scoliosis). Pneumonia and other respiratory diseases are common due to malfunctioning of the respiratory muscles.
General symptoms and signs of muscular dystrophies are:

 - Muscle weakness
 - Coordination slips
 - Progressive sinvaliditate
Signs and symptoms vary depending on the specific type of muscular dystrophy in question. Each type differs in terms of onset, muscle groups affected and the disease.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy: the onset of symptoms generally occurs between 3 and 5 years. As a result of lower limb muscle atrophy, children have a tendency of falling and difficulty in lifting off the ground. As weight loss, muscle fibers grow in size due to the replacement of muscle tissue or fat necrosis (pseudohipertrofie).Using a wheelchair becomes necessary to 12 years. Some patients have scoliosis, mental retardation or suffer from heart failure.
Becker muscular dystrophy - the symptoms are comparable with those of Duchenne myopathy, but begins between 5 and 15 years are less marked.
Myotonic dystrophy - myotonic characterized by (abnormally prolonged muscle contractions difficulties in decontractare).Debuts at five years, affecting mainly the hands and tongue. Facial muscles may also be affected, and neck muscles, toes and ankle.Atrophy of the muscles involved in speech and swallowing difficulties in performing these acts trains. Impaired diaphragm cause breathing difficulties.
Muscular dystrophy belt - symptoms begins in late childhood or early adulthood. It is characterized by muscle atrophy in shoulders and hips, and breathing difficulties in case of reaching the diaphragm. It may be accompanied by heart failure or arrhythmia.
Facio-scapular-humeral dystrophy or (Landouzy-Dejerine dystrophy) - is characterized by affecting the facial muscles, so patients can not smile, whistle, or close your eyes.