New Statistics On Two Muscular Dystrophy Disorders Revealed

Statistics show that about 1 in 5,000 boys in the United States suffer from muscular dystrophy, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy.

Researchers at the University of Iowa found that these disorders typically affect 5 and 9-year-old boys. They also found that the disease seems to affect Hispanic boys more than white or African-American ones.

The findings are important because they provide a better understanding of just how many families are affected by the disorder as well as potential new treatments for the progression of the health issue. 

"There were always some rather crude estimates of how common these muscular dystrophies are," said Paul Romitti, an epidemiologist at the UI and corresponding author of the study, in a news release. "It tells us that they're still an important public health concern."

Muscular dystrophy belongs to a group of genetic disorders that result in muscle weakness over time. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common, with early onset during the teenage years and typical death resulting in the early 20s. Becker muscular dystrophy is similar to Duchenne but with later onset and slower progression of symptoms.

Researchers analyzed data from birth and death certificates along with medical records for children born between 1982 and 2011 in the following six states: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa and western New York. They calculated the disorders' prevalence across four five-year time periods, beginning in the 1991-1995 period and ending in 2006-2010.

They found that the disorder affected roughly 2 per 10,000 boys in the 1991-1995, 1996-2000 and 2001-2005 periods. By the time period between 2006-2010, the prevalence was just at 1.5. 

Three-quarters of the 845 total cases were Duchenne, according to the study.

Though the aforementioned health issues are relatively rare, researchers caution that the caregivers should be prepared for multiple changes throughout the progression of the disease. 

"People who have these disorders require daily attention from their families and complex-care management from health-care providers," concluded Romitti, professor in the UI College of Public Health. "The new data will help to estimate the cost for the parents and the health-care system. We are continuing to learn more about the total impact of these disorders on the child and the family." 

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Pediatrics. 

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