What causes facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy?
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy involves progressive muscle weakness and loss of muscle tissue. It primarily affects the face, shoulder, and upper arm muscles. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is a type of muscular dystrophy that affects the upper body, unlike some other types that affect primarily the lower body (including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy). It is a genetic disorder with a autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. This means the disorder appears in both men and women and may develop in a child if either parent carries the gene for the disorder. This form of muscular dystrophy occurs in both sexes, and it often strikes several members of the same family. However, because the symptoms vary in intensity, family members may have such mild forms of the illness that they are unaware of any muscle problems. Weakness of the facial muscles and the shoulder is typical.
