When is World Duchenne Awareness Day?
Thursday September 7thOn September 7th, World Duchenne Awareness Day honors infant boys who live with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). It's also a day to raise concerns of this genetic disorder.
About 1 in every 5,000 boys are born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This genetic disorder is characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. Muscle degeneration is caused by a combination of a protein called dystrophin.. Dystrophin is the protein that maintains muscle cells intact. It's also responsible for muscle cell repair. For those who have DMD, this protein is also lacking in the brain. Children with DMD often have learning difficulties and behavioral difficulties as a result of their autism.
Girls can also be carriers of this disease, but are only moderately affected. Boys are more affected by the disease than ever. DMD also affects boys more than ever.
The following are common signs of DMD:
