Stem Cell Therapy for Muscular Dystrophy

28 Sep Stem Cell Therapy for Muscular Dystrophy

Muscular dystrophy refers to a group of diseases caused by genetic mutations. These diseases affect the body’s ability to produce certain proteins that the body uses to form healthy muscles. Muscular dystrophy weakens the muscles and reduces patients’ muscle mass. With time, patients have extreme difficulty in performing everyday activities.

Muscular dystrophy leads to different complications. As the muscles weaken in different body parts, patients develop complications such as difficulty breathing, cardiovascular issues, curved spine, and decreased joints.

Muscular dystrophy is a debilitating disease that can cause many other physiological conditions. It is also a progressive disease. Most of the time, symptoms start at an early age and progress quickly. Though it is more common in young children, especially boys, older people can also have muscular dystrophy.

Types of Muscular Dystrophy

There are different types of muscular dystrophy, each with its causes and symptoms. The most common type is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This condition mainly affects young boys. However, girls can also show signs of the disease. Delayed growth, learning disabilities, and difficulty with certain movements are signs of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Other types of muscular dystrophy are Becker, myotonic, limb-girdle, and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. These diseases are often classified by the parts they affect and how progressive they are. For example, Becker’s muscular dystrophy affects young adults and does not progress as quickly as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Myotonic muscular dystrophy usually affects neck and facial muscles first, inhibiting the relaxation of the muscles after contraction. People who have myotonic muscular dystrophy have drooping eyelids and thin-looking faces and necks.

Risk Factors for Muscular Dystrophy

Researchers have found that genetics plays a huge role in causing muscular dystrophy. People of all races, sexes, and ages with family histories of the disease have higher chances of developing the disease than those who do not. Duchenne Muscular dystrophy also affects boys more than other categories of people.

Traditional treatment Methods

There are no traditional treatment procedures that can treat muscular dystrophy. Doctors only seek to manage the disease and slow down its progression. Doctors can also prescribe surgeries to correct damage on the spine and nerves. In later stages, patients may need assistive devices, such as wheelchairs, ventilators, braces, and pacemakers to reduce the effect of the disease on patients.

Therapy can also help reduce the progression of the damage. Therapists recommend stretching exercises to increase patients’ range of motion as the limbs continue to shrink inwards. Patients can also benefit from some exercises that can strengthen weak muscles. However, the procedures can only help patients manage the condition.

Stem Cell Therapy for Muscular Dystrophy

Stem cell therapy uses stem cells, which have long-term self-renewal abilities and differentiate into different cell tissues, including muscle cell tissues.

A 2013 study shows that patients with muscular dystrophy may continue to regain muscular function for as long as a year after stem cell treatments. The study involved 15 patients, and 87% regained varying levels of muscle strength after receiving the stem cells.

Kindly book an appointment with our Chicago stem cell treatment center for state-of-the-art regenerative procedures for the treatment of muscular dystrophy.