The following is additional information on MD and links to additional resources. The muscles of the heart and some other involuntary muscles are also affected in some forms of muscular dystrophy, and a few forms involve other organs as well. Duchenne is the most common form of MD affecting children, and myotonic MD is the most common form affecting adults.
Muscular dystrophy can affect people of all ages.
While some forms first become apparent in infancy or childhood, others may not appear until middle age or later. With improved medical care, especially for problems that effect the heart and lungs, children with MD have a longer life expectancy than ever before. The forms differ in their severity, the age at which a person develops the disease, the muscles affected, and the rate at which the symptoms progress. The disorders, however, are all inherited. Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD, is the most common form of muscular dystrophy.