Which statement best describes Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

Which statement best describes Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

• A. It presents with proximal muscle weakness beginning in early childhood
• B. Gowers' sign is commonly observed
• C. Early signs include toe walking
• D. It typically allows normal running ability through school age

Answer: (D)

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive disorder caused by dystrophin deficiency that leads to weakness of proximal muscles in young boys. The typical picture starts early in childhood, with difficulty climbing stairs, getting up from the floor, and a characteristic Gowers’ maneuver as the child relies on the arms to push the trunk upright. Early gait changes like toe walking can appear as a compensatory pattern and calf muscles may become pseudohypertrophied from fat and connective tissue replacing muscle. Ambulation is usually maintained for several years but is progressively lost, often by adolescence. In other words, running ability through school age is not preserved in Duchenne; to fit the condition, you’d expect progressive proximal weakness and eventual loss of walking ability.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive disorder caused by dystrophin deficiency that leads to weakness of proximal muscles in young boys. The typical picture starts early in childhood, with difficulty climbing stairs, getting up from the floor, and a characteristic Gowers’ maneuver as the child relies on the arms to push the trunk upright. Early gait changes like toe walking can appear as a compensatory pattern and calf muscles may become pseudohypertrophied from fat and connective tissue replacing muscle.

Ambulation is usually maintained for several years but is progressively lost, often by adolescence. In other words, running ability through school age is not preserved in Duchenne; to fit the condition, you’d expect progressive proximal weakness and eventual loss of walking ability.