Question

For muscular dystrophy, what is a symptom that occurs very early, before a child can even walk?

1) Difficulty in crawling
2) Delayed motor skills development
3) Muscle weakness
4) Joint contractures

Answer 1

Muscle weakness is an early symptom of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), which precedes other manifestations such as difficulty in crawling and delayed motor skills. DMD is a genetic, progressive disorder that leads to muscle degradation and has no current cure. Option 3 is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, leading to the death of muscle cells and tissues.

One of the most common forms of childhood muscular dystrophy is Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an X-linked recessive disorder primarily affecting males.

The symptom of DMD that occurs very early, often before a child can walk, is muscle weakness. This early manifestation can lead to delayed motor skills development, difficulties in crawling, and can progress to more severe impairments, such as joint contractures.

While there is currently no known cure for muscular dystrophy, research is ongoing, with the goal of discovering effective treatments. As muscular dystrophy affects the muscular system and causes deterioration over time, symptoms continue to progress from lower limb weakness to the upper body, eventually affecting respiratory and circulatory muscles.