What is the life expectancy of muscular dystrophy?
Until recently, children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) did not often live beyond their teens. However, improvements in cardiac and respiratory care mean that life expectancy is increasing, with many DMD patients reaching their 30s, and some living into their 40s and 50s.
How long do people with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy live?
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common type of muscular dystrophy. Life expectancy with this type is around the ages of 16 to the early 20s. Becker muscular dystrophy has higher life expectancy, usually in the 30s. Some muscular dystrophies are highly variable, such as congenital, Emery-Dreifuss, and myotonic.
What is the most severe form of muscular dystrophy?
Duchenne MD (DMD) DMD is the most common and severe form of MD among children, and it accounts for approximately half of MD cases. DMD occurs mostly in boys, usually between 3 and 5 years of age, and progresses rapidly. Most people with DMD are unable to walk by age 12 and may eventually need a respirator to breathe.
Does DMD shorten life expectancy?
DMD is a very serious condition and it does shorten life. Because the muscle weakness increases gradually over the years, complications eventually develop. The breathing or heart problems usually become more serious for older teenagers or people in their 20s.
Which muscular dystrophy is fatal?
Some types of muscular dystrophy, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy in boys, are deadly. Other types cause little disability and people have a normal lifespan.
Why can muscular dystrophy lead to death?
Background: Muscular dystrophies (MDs), characterized by progressive muscle wasting, are associated with 1 in 2,500 deaths in the United States. Although treatments slow the progression, these disorders lead to early death, usually due to cardiac or respiratory failure.