How does muscular dystrophy and covid work together?

What is Muscular Dystrophy and covid?

“Muscular dystrophy is a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass.” There is no cure for this disease, it progresses as time goes on. It can only be diagnosed by a doctor at any age, through saliva or blood. In order to test for muscular dystrophy, doctors have to see weakness in muscles, trouble walking, learning disabilities, and walking on toes. There are many other examples of what can be a sign. Most of the symptoms of muscular dystrophy occur in children somewhere between the ages of 2 and 3. As the disease attacks the body, the muscles begin to weaken. Children may have difficulties putting pressure on their legs, or they may manifest other areas of weakness, especially around the ankles. This weakness may come and go. For example, a child may be walking along, when, unexpectedly, one of their legs just gives out unexpectedly due to weakness in the muscles. It can not even appear until years later where there so much activity going on that the fatigue comes faster than muscle weakness.

What is covid?

“Covid is the virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).” It was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019. “In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.” Symptoms include such as fever, cough, and tiredness. It is like a cold but much more progressive. In a journal of muscular diseases, “Patients with certain muscular dystrophies (MD), such as those with cardio-pulmonary involvement, may be at higher risk for poor outcomes with COVID-19 [2] as well as other impacts on daily living.”

Personal Experience

I have personally gone through this experience. It was one of the worst I ever went through. I want to be able to tell my story to others as it can inspire people to never give up in their life and continue. Most side effects of this include: muscle achiness, weakness, and fatigue. Most cases from what I have researched end up in a wheelchair because of this condition progressing more each day. It can make it very hard to walk even a block.

Neurologist suggestions

Neurologists suggest getting a personal trainer or physical therapy. This can help strengthen the muscles and make it stronger to walk more than a block. It can also increase energy levels by 100%. From a pediatrician doctor, she suggested taking medication that can help treat covid and muscular dystrophy together. On the FDA website it states that it is very safe and effective medicine to take. It helps relieve pain in lungs and breathe easier. As a result, it is hard to get a prescription from a doctor because they would have to verify if you actually have the disease. It can be restrictive to gain access without any proof or paperwork requested or not turning it in.

Works Cited

1. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). (2019). Muscular dystrophy information page. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Muscular-Dystrophy-Information-Page

2. Langone Health, N. Y. U. (n.d.). Types of muscular dystrophy. Patient Care at NYU Langone Health. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://nyulangone.org/conditions/muscular-dystrophy/types

3. CDC. (2022, November 21). What is muscular dystrophy? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/musculardystrophy/facts.html

4. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Mitochondrial diseases: Causes, symptoms, diagnosis & treatment. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15612-mitochondrial-diseases

5. US DHHS. (n.d.). What are the treatments for muscular dystrophy (MD)? Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/musculardys/conditioninfo/treatment

6. Mawer, R. (2022, May 18). Creatine 101: What is it and what does it do? Healthline. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-creatine

7. MedlinePlus [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated Jun 24; cited 2020 Jul 1]. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from

https://medlineplus.gov/.

8. FDA. (2019, December). FDA grants accelerated approval to first targeted treatment for rare Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutation. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-first-targeted-treatment-rare-duchenne-muscular-dystrophy-mutation

9. Wahl, M. (2001, February). Sorting out speech services. Quest, 8(1). Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://www.mda.org/quest/article/sorting-out-speech-services

10. Sheehan, D. W., Birnkrant, D. J., Benditt, J. O., Eagle, M., Finder, J. D., Kissel, J., et al. (2018). Respiratory management of the patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Pediatrics, 142(Suppl 2), S62–S71. Retrieved December 15, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30275250/