# Muscular dystrophy

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muscular-dystrophy/791109>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 12, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muscular-dystrophy/791109 "2017-07-12T17:33:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![copperwindow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muscular-dystrophy/791109/1 "2017-07-12T17:33:11Z")

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Does muscular dystrophy affect every muscle?

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**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muscular-dystrophy/791109/2 "2017-07-12T17:51:00Z")

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From reading [this](http://www.webmd.com/children/what-is-muscular-dystrophy#1)the answer seems to be ‘it depends’.

There are over 30 variants of MD, and each depends on the genes that cause it, the muscles it affects, the age when symptoms first appear and how quickly the disease gets worse.

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**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muscular-dystrophy/791109/3 "2017-07-12T18:00:36Z")

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No, it depends on what kind of muscular dystrophy you have.

My father had Limb-Girdle which made him weak in the shoulders and legs. He could still use his hands, and hold his torso erect.

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**Author:** ![copperwindow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muscular-dystrophy/791109/4 "2017-07-12T18:29:58Z")

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For myotonic md. Can my tongue dystrophy? Can my tongue get myotonia?

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/muscular-dystrophy/791109/5 "2017-07-13T00:15:03Z")

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Yes, tongues can and do exhibit myotonia and weakness, in both MD1 and MD2.

> [@](#):
>
> Myotonia and muscle pain.  
> Myotonia of voluntary muscles can make it hard for someone with MMD1 or MMD2 to relax their grip, especially in cold temperatures. Door handles, cups, handwriting and using hand tools may pose a problem, although some people never notice it. Myotonia also can affect the muscles of the tongue and jaw, causing difficulty with speech and chewing.

> **[Signs and Symptoms of Adult-Onset DM1 and DM2 - Myotonic Dystrophy (DM) -...](https://www.mda.org/disease/myotonic-dystrophy/signs-and-symptoms/adult-onset-DM)**
>
> The classic form of DM1 becomes symptomatic between the second and fourth decades of life. In these patients, average lifespan is reduced. Patients diagnosed with DM1 have multiple sets of DNA bases repeats in their genome (known as the CTG repeats)....