Therefore, these diseases can never be inherited from the father. Diagnosis Diagnosis requires taking a sample of the weak muscle tissue for biopsy and either examining it under a microscope or performing chemical tests on it. However, because specific treatments aren't available, a precise diagnosis of these less common forms of muscular dystrophy is rarely useful. The disorder produces both weakness and tight, contracted muscles, especially in the hands. Drooping eyelids are also common.
Symptoms can appear at any age and can range from mild to severe.
People with the most severe form of the disease have extreme muscle weakness and many other symptoms including cataracts, small testes, premature balding, irregular heartbeats, diabetes, and mental retardation. They usually die by age 50. Symptoms usually start in infancy. The hands, legs, and eyelids become very stiff because of an inability to relax the muscles. Muscle weakness, however, is usually minimal.