Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a rare form of muscular dystrophy with symptoms generally starting when an individual is 40 to 50 years old. It can be autosomal dominant neuromuscular disease or autosomal recessive. The most common inheritance of OPMD is autosomal dominant, which means only one copy of the mutated gene needs to be present in each cell. Children of an affected parent have a 50% chance of inheriting the mutant gene.Autosomal dominant inheritance is the most common form of inheritance. Less commonly, OPMD can be inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means that two copies of the mutated gene need to be present in each cell, both parents need to be carriers of the mutated gene, and usually show no signs or symptoms. The PABPN1 mutation contains a GCG trinucleotide repeat  at the 5 end of the coding region, and expansion of this repeat which then leads to autosomal dominant oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) disease. Signs and symptoms
In terms of the signs (and symptoms) of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy would be consistent with the following:
PtosisWeakness of the extraocular musclesDysphagiaAspiration pneumonia (complication)Proximal limb weaknessThough the aforementioned signs/symptoms are the most common, there have been cases though rare, where the peripheral nervous system has had involvement with significant reduction of myelinated fibers In homozygous cases, this muscular dystrophy is severe and starts earlier in the affected individuals life. Genetics
The genetics of this type of muscular dystrophy revolve around the PABPN1 gene.
Many of those affected with the proximal limb weakness will eventually require assistive devices such as canes, braces or a wheelchair. As with all surgical procedures, they come with many risk factors. As the dysphagia becomes more severe, patients become malnourished, lose significant weight, become dehydrated and suffer from repeated incidents of aspiration pneumonia. These last two are often the cause of death. Epidemiology
The disease is found across 5 continents (30 countries) and is frequently seen in French Canadians, with a prevalence 1:1000. OPMD affects males and females equally, and affected individuals have been found in Europe (France), Jewish Ashkenazi, and Spanish Americans. See also
Muscular dystrophy
PABPN1

References
Further reading
Raz, Yotam; Raz, Vered (2014-01-01). "Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy as a paradigm for muscle aging". Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 6: 317. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2014.00317. PMC 4226162. PMID 25426070. Hill, M. E.; Creed, G. A.; McMullan, T. F. W.; Tyers, A. G.; Hilton-Jones, D.; Robinson, D. O.; Hammans, S. R. (1 March 2001). "Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy". Brain. 124 (3): 522–526. doi:10.1093/brain/124.3.522. ISSN 0006-8950. PMID 11222452. Gómez-Torres, Antonio; Abrante Jiménez, Antonio; Rivas Infante, Eloy; Menoyo Bueno, Alicia; Tirado Zamora, Isabel; Esteban Ortega, Francisco (November 2012). "Cricopharyngeal Myotomy in the Treatment of Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy". Acta Otorrinolaringologica (English Edition). 63 (6): 465–469. doi:10.1016/j.otoeng.2012.11.009. ISSN 2173-5735. PMID 22898142. Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy at NIHs Office of Rare Diseases


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