Duchenne Awareness Day
Today, September 7th is International “Duchenne Awareness Day”. We took this opportunity to launch our video. Its aim is simply to raise awareness about Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The seventh day of the ninth month represent the 79 exons in the dystrophin gene.
Telling as many people as possible about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is the first step towards a cure.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a degenerative disease of the muscles. It affects children at a very young age (mostly boys). Causing a weakening of every muscle in the body, it leads to loss of mobility, heart problems, respiratory failure and premature death of those afflicted in their early twenties. There is currently no cure…
We need your help to find new treatments for all children afflicted with DMD.
It is through public awareness that, together, we will get closer to a cure. At La Force Foundation, we work tirelessly to unite the DMD community to raise awareness around a common objective: that of providing access to new treatments as fast as possible and to participate in the funding of new research projects.
Together, our voices are heard further!
We firmly believe that there is Strength in Unity.
We believe that, together, we can be part of the solution and contribute significantly to finding treatments for all children with DMD.
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More about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) – A degenerative disease of the muscles for which there is no treatment
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a disease that almost exclusively affects boys and whose incidence is 1 in 3,500. It is extremely rare that Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) will affect girls. Those affected are usually diagnosed around the age of five, but symptoms may be visible from early childhood. It is a degenerative disease of the muscles caused by a genetic mutation. The Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) – for which no treatment is currently available – directly affects skeletal muscles. Without treatment, the consequences of the disease are dire for those afflicted and their families.
The cause of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD): A genetic mutation
The simplest way to explain the disorder is that a genetic mutation (ie, a genetic defect) affects the gene responsible for the production of dystrophin. This genetic defect prevents the gene from synthesizing dystrophin.
The consequence of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD): Dystrophin deficiency
Dystrophin plays an essential role in maintaining the integrity of muscle cells. Because of the genetic mutation they harbor, people afflicted with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) lack dystrophin in their system. In the absence of dystrophin, muscles degenerate and become atrophied.
The effects of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD): Gradual loss of the ability to use one’s muscles
The disorder causes muscles to degenerate and atrophy: one by one, all muscles in the body gradually fall prey to the disease. The fate of our child, Anakin, will be a gradual loss of his ability to walk. Around the age of 10, playing baseball, running and walking will be only memories of him, and he’ll be confined to a wheelchair. Throughout this time, he will be totally aware of this degradation process.
A few years later, during preadolescence, it is quite possible that even the ability to take a deep breath will be a thing of the past since the disease ultimately causes respiratory failure. Of course, DMD does not spare the heart (also a muscle) either… Without treatment, the normal evolution of the disease inevitably brings about premature death between the ages of 18 and 25, sometimes earlier. For families, there is no worse sentence than to helplessly watch their child suffer…
