Muscular dystrophy is a collective term for inherited muscular
disorders which lead to increasing muscular atrophy. Through a
defect in the metabolism of the muscle cell, the skeletal and
heart musculature is metabolised and replaced by fat and
connective tissues. Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy is the most
frequent type. Approximately one out of 3500 newborns is
affected. Doctors find the Becker-Kiener type much more rarely.
Both forms of muscular dystrophy are inherited X-chromosomally /
recessively. That is, the disorder is expressed in boys if they
inherit the defective gene from their mother. On the other hand,
girls are usually only carriers. Progress of muscular dystrophy
Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy is often noticed as early as the
third to fifth year of life, when the child frequently stumbles
and falls. Due to the muscle weakness which initially occurs in
the pelvic girdle and thighs, a waddling gait develops. The
children have trouble moving into an upright position from
sitting or lying, and often