“AT the age of 13, I developed a
strange condition and gradually I
realised that I could not keep up
with the pace of my colleagues
on our way back home from
school,” recounts one person with
muscular dystrophy.
“During break time at school I
also noticed that I was now feeling
rather tired and did not go out
much.
“By the end of the year I had to
be lifted as I could no longer walk.
“My parents decided to consult
sangomas and mapositori as they
thought I had been bewitched, but
my condition deteriorated.
“It was after a biopsy at a local
hospital that I was informed I had
muscular dystrophy.”
Muscular dystrophies are a
group of inherited diseases that
damage and weaken muscles over
time.
This damage and weakness is
due to lack of a protein called
dystrophin which is necessary for
normal muscle function.
The absence of this protein
can cause problems in walking,
swallowing and muscle coordination.
There are more than 30
different kinds of muscular
dystrophies, which vary in
symptoms and severity.
Muscular dystrophy can occur
at any age, but most diagnoses
occur in childhood.
Boys are, however, more likely
to have it than girls.
The prognosis for muscular
dystrophy depends on the type
and the severity of symptoms.
However, most individuals
with muscular dystrophy do lose
the ability to walk and eventually
require a wheelchair.
There is no known cure for
muscular dystrophies, but
exercises may help.
In an interview with The
Patriot, Muscular Dystrophy
Association in Zimbabwe (MDAZ)
president Watson Khupe said
there were about 8 000 people
afflicted with the condition in
Zimbabwe.
“Whenever I get to a hospital I
can ask for a template of any other
condition like HIV and AIDS and
cancer and I find them, but there
are no templates on muscular
dystrophy, yet everyone can be
potentially affected by the same
condition,” said Khupe.
Khupe said there was need
to avail physiotherapy facilities
and personnel who are key in
the management of muscular
dystrophy in order to improve the
livelihood of the afflicted.
“Muscular dystrophy needs
care and attention and the
routines that one has to do change
periodically so we ask for more
personnel in hospitals and clinics
on how to manage the condition,”
he said.
Khupe, who is affected by
muscular dystrophy, said the
MDAZ was formed in 1990 by a
small group of persons affected by
the condition.
There are more than 30 kinds
of muscular dystrophy with the
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
(DMD) and Becker Muscular
Dystrophy (BMD) being the most
common and each is different
based on:
l The genes that cause it.
l The muscles it affects.
l The age when symptoms
first appear.
l How quickly the disease
gets worse.
Currently, there is no cure for
the disease, but the following can
be helpful:
l Physical therapy uses
different exercises and stretches to
keep muscles strong and flexible.
l Occupational therapy
teaches your child how to make
the most of what his muscles can
do. Therapists can also show him/
her how to use wheelchairs, braces
and other devices that can help
him/her in daily life.
l Speech therapy will teach
him/her easier ways to talk if his/
her throat or face muscles are
weak.
l Respiratory therapy can
help if one is having trouble
breathing.
l Medicines can help ease
symptoms as anti-seizure drugs
reduce muscle spasms.
l Blood pressure medicines
help with heart problems.
l Drugs that turn down the
body’s immune system, called
immune suppressants may slow
damage to muscle cells.
l Steroids like prednisone
slow down muscle damage and
can help one breathe better. They
can cause serious side effects,
such as weak bones and a higher
risk of infections.
l Surgery can help with
different complications of
muscular dystrophy, like heart
problems or trouble swallowing.
– Source: WebMED