Muscular dystrophy is characterized by what?

Muscular dystrophy is characterized by what?

• A. Autoimmune destruction of muscle tissue
• B. Vitamin deficiency
• C. Genetic mutations of the dystrophin gene leading to muscle problems throughout the body
• D. Traumatic injury to muscles

Answer: (C)

Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited disorders where muscle weakness and degeneration progress because a key muscle protein is defective. The classic form stems from mutations in the dystrophin gene, which makes dystrophin, a protein that links the muscle fiber’s internal structure to the surrounding extracellular matrix. Without functional dystrophin, muscle membranes are fragile and repeatedly damaged during contraction; over time, damaged fibers die and are replaced by fibrous tissue and fat. This degeneration happens throughout the body, often starting with proximal muscles and later involving respiratory and cardiac muscles, leading to progressive weakness, breathing difficulties, and cardiomyopathy. Because the root cause is a genetic mutation, the condition is not due to autoimmune attack, vitamin deficiency, or a one-time traumatic injury.

Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited disorders where muscle weakness and degeneration progress because a key muscle protein is defective. The classic form stems from mutations in the dystrophin gene, which makes dystrophin, a protein that links the muscle fiber’s internal structure to the surrounding extracellular matrix. Without functional dystrophin, muscle membranes are fragile and repeatedly damaged during contraction; over time, damaged fibers die and are replaced by fibrous tissue and fat. This degeneration happens throughout the body, often starting with proximal muscles and later involving respiratory and cardiac muscles, leading to progressive weakness, breathing difficulties, and cardiomyopathy. Because the root cause is a genetic mutation, the condition is not due to autoimmune attack, vitamin deficiency, or a one-time traumatic injury.