What Are the Causes of Muscular Dystrophy?
Until the 1980’s, little was known about the cause of any type of muscular dystrophy. We now know that muscular dystrophy is caused by defects in certain genes. The type of muscular dystrophy is determined by which gene is defective. In 1986, researchers discovered the gene that, when defective or flawed, causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In 1987, the muscle protein associated with this gene was named dystrophin. Duchenne muscular dystrophy occurs when that gene fails to make dystrophin. Becker muscular dystrophy occurs when a different mutation in the same gene results in some dystrophin, but it’s either not enough or it’s poor in quality. Scientists have discovered and continue to search for the genetic defects that cause other forms of muscular dystrophy. Most of the muscular dystrophies are a form of inherited disease called X-linked disorders or genetic diseases that mothers can transmit to their sons even though the mothers themselves are unaffected by the disease. Men carry on
