Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

-A genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle wasting and weakness

-Occurs in 1 out of every 3500 male births (girls are rarely effected)

-Symptoms include: Poor balance, frequent falls, difficulty climbing stairs and running, enlarged calf muscles

-Boys begin to show signs of muscle weakness as early as age 3 and usually lose the ability to walk sometime
  between ages of 7 and 12

-By their early teens, the heart and respiratory muscles may also be effected

-Life expectancy is rarely beyond early 20's