14 Lomond Road, Wemyss Bay, Renfrewshire, PA18 6BD | Tel: 01475 522 546 | Mob: 07988 695 452 | admin@eileenmccallumtrust.org
The Eileen McCallum Trust is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC041537
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic muscle wasting disease that causes muscles to weaken over time, leading to increasingly severe disability. It is one of the most common forms of Muscular Dystrophy, usually affecting boys in early childhood, with many becoming dependent on a wheelchair by the age of 12.
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy occurs in approximately 1 in every 3,500 live male births.
- It is caused by a fault on the gene which produces the protein dystrophin.
- Dystrophin acts as a cushion, as well as a kind of glue.
- It binds to the muscle membrane and helps maintain the structure of muscle cells. Without dystrophin, muscles are unable to operate properly, suffer progressive damage, and eventually die.
There are around 160 - 200 boys and young men living in Scotland at any one time with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.