Distal Muscular Dystrophy (Noun)
Meaning
A form of muscular dystrophy that sets in between 40 and 60 years of age and is characterized by weakness and wasting of the muscles of the hands and forearms and lower legs; inheritance is autosomal dominant.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Examples
- Distal muscular dystrophy is a condition that affects people in their middle to late adulthood, primarily weakening the muscles in their limbs.
- Some of the early signs of distal muscular dystrophy include muscle pain and stiffness in the hands and lower legs.
- In distal muscular dystrophy, the muscle degeneration progresses slowly and might take years to reach its most severe stages.
- Distal muscular dystrophy has been found to follow an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance, meaning that even a single copy of the defective gene is enough to cause the condition.
- Researchers and doctors alike have difficulty diagnosing distal muscular dystrophy in its early stages, mainly because the initial symptoms resemble those of other, more common conditions.