12-14-2008, 06:22 PM
Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy* Age of onset: late childhood to middle age* Symptoms: Muscle wasting and weakness, beginning from the shoulder girdle and pelvic girdle* Rate of Progression: Slow* Expected Lifespan: Varies, death is usually due to cardiac or respiratory complicationsLimb-Girdle Muscular DystrophyMany forms of LGMD have been identified, showing different patterns of inheritance (autosomal recessive vs. autosomal dominant). In an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance, an individual receives two copies of the defective gene, one from each parent. The recessive LGMDs are more frequent than the dominant forms. The dominant LGMDs usually show adult onset. Some of the recessive forms have been associated with defects in proteins that make up the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex.
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