muscular dystrophy

(noun)

A group of genetic diseases that cause progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissue.

Related Terms

Examples of muscular dystrophy in the following topics:

  • Muscular Dystrophy

    • Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of muscle diseases characterized by non-functional muscle proteins that impair proper function.
    • Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of muscle diseases characterized by the creation of non-functional muscle proteins that weakens muscles and impairs proper function.
    • Muscular dystrophy is generally an inherited disease, with men affected at much higher rates than women.

  • Muscular Atrophy

    • Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a group of rare inherited muscle diseases in which muscle fibers are unusually susceptible to damage.
    • In the late stages of muscular dystrophy, muscle fibers are often replaced by fat and connective tissue.
    • In some types of muscular dystrophy, heart muscles, other involuntary muscles and other organs are affected.
    • The most common types of muscular dystrophy appear to be due to a genetic deficiency of the muscle protein dystrophin.
    • There is no cure for muscular dystrophy, but medications and therapy can slow the course of the disease.

  • Muscular Atrophy and Hypertrophy

    • Loss of muscle not due to atrophy or sarcopenia is indicative of diseases that result in structural defects of muscles (muscular dystrophy) or autoimmune responses that degrade muscle structure (myopathies).

  • Disorders of Acid-Base Balance

    • ., myasthenia gravis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Guillain-BarrĂ© syndrome, muscular dystrophy), or airway obstruction related to asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation.

  • Acidosis

    • However, in cases where chronic illnesses that compromise pulmonary function persist, such as late-stage emphysema and certain types of muscular dystrophy, compensatory mechanisms will be unable to reverse this acidotic condition.

  • Chemical Composition of Bone

    • ., myasthenia gravis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Guillain-BarrĂ© syndrome, muscular dystrophy), or airway obstructions related to asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation.

  • Muscular Arteries

    • Muscular or distributing arteries are medium-sized arteries that draw blood from an elastic artery and branch into resistance vessels, including small arteries and arterioles.
    • In contrast to the mechanism elastic arteries use to store and dissipate energy generated by the heart's contraction, muscular arteries contain layers of smooth muscle providing allowing for involuntary control of vessel caliber and thus control of blood flow.
    • Muscular arteries can be identified by the well-defined elastic lamina that lies between the tunicae intima and media.
    • The splenic artery (lienal artery), the blood vessel that supplies oxygenated blood to the spleen, is an example of a muscular artery.

  • Elastic Arteries

    • Elastic arteries contain larger numbers of collagen and elastin filaments in their tunica media than muscular arteries do, giving them the ability to stretch in response to each pulse.
    • Elastic arteries include the largest arteries in the body, those closest to the heart, and give rise to the smaller muscular arteries.

  • Urethra

    • The urethra is a muscular tube that connects the bladder with the outside of the body and removes urine from the body.
    • The muscular layer is a continuation of the smooth muscle of the bladder.

  • Esophagus

    • The esophagus is a muscular tube that moves food from the pharynx to the stomach via peristalsis.
    • The esophagus is an organ in vertebrates that consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach.