Muscular Dystrophy is a disease you get when you already have a group of genetic diseases within ones body. It causes ongoing weakening of the muscles within ones body and can even result in the loss of muscle mass. As a result of the genetic mutations it interferes with the proteins that need to be produced in order to have healthy muscles. If you notice a decline in your bodies muscles you should go get checked out. In children you might notice them falling frequent falling, difficulty getting up after laying down or sitting, hard to run or jump, waddling gait, walking on their toes, learning disabilities, and delayed growth. There are many different forms that someone could get, you should seek treatment of you become more clumsy or notice muscles weakness.

     There are many ways doctors try and determine the exact diagnoses of muscular dystrophy. Some of those tests include an enzyme test, testing of someones genetics, heart and or lung testing. Once it is determined that you have the genetic mutations that contribute to the disease treatments include surgery, therapy, and medications. Therapy would help your muscles last as long as possible and try to keep them as strong as you can for as long as you can. Surgeries that one may endure as treatment include ones to help correct the spine if it becomes an issue and to repair the heart if necessary. The medications doctors normally prescribe are Corticosteroids like prednisone and deflazacort that are used to delay some types of the disease. Along with some heart medications to try and keep the disease from effecting it too much. 

     This is a very rare disease, less than 200,000 cases are reported within the US each year. Symptoms usually start between the ages of 3 and 5. The survival rate of someone diagnosed with muscular dystrophy is about 13.5%. It is more common for men to be affected by muscular dystrophy than women are, very rarely do women actually get diagnosed.

Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/muscular-dystrophy/symptoms-causes/syc-20375388

https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/duchenne-muscular-dystrophy/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3476854/