Clinical Features

The symptoms of the disease manifest before 5 years of age.
Earliest signs of DMD include developmental delay in talking and walking.
This is followed by progressive weakening and muscle wasting, more specifically muscles of the thigh and pelvis.
The victim has trouble related to walking up the stairs or rising from chairs.
There is a noticeable thickening of the calf muscles over a period of time.

With progressive involvement of the muscles of the trunk, shoulder and back, a typical 'swayback' posture can be seen.
The child finds it difficult to balance himself and falls over a number of times. The child soon begins to walk on his toes owing to contraction of the heel cords.
The elbows, knees, hips and spine are affected as the disease progresses, resulting in scoliosis (curvature of the spine).
The affected individual is confined to wheelchairs before 12 years of age.
Although most patients have normal levels of intelligence, signs of mental retardation may be seen in a small percentage of the cases.
The muscle of the heart and lungs are also affected, leading to death from either respiratory or cardiac failure.
Once the muscles of the diaphragm become involved, the patient finds it difficult to breathe and is dependent on a ventilator/ respirator for breathing support.

References:

Basic Human Genetics - Elaine Johansen Mange & Arthur P. Mange
Medical Genetics - Lynn B. Jorde, John C. Carey, Raymond L. White
Muscular Dystrophy - (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/musculardystrophy.html)
Muscular Dystrophy Information Page - (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/md/md.htm)

Published on Apr 01, 2008
Last Updated on Apr 30, 2016

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Dr. Varshini Jayaraman. (2016, April 30). Muscular Dystrophy / Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - Clinical Features . Medindia. Retrieved on May 28, 2022 from https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/musculardystrophy_features.htm.
MLA

Dr. Varshini Jayaraman. "Muscular Dystrophy / Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - Clinical Features ". Medindia. May 28, 2022. <https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/musculardystrophy_features.htm>.
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Dr. Varshini Jayaraman. "Muscular Dystrophy / Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - Clinical Features ". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/musculardystrophy_features.htm. (accessed May 28, 2022).
Harvard
Dr. Varshini Jayaraman. 2021. Muscular Dystrophy / Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - Clinical Features . Medindia, viewed May 28, 2022, https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/musculardystrophy_features.htm.