One of the serious hereditary disorders that have been like a nightmare for some parents, when affecting their child, is the muscular dystrophy disorder. Various medical fields are going to be dealing mainly with genes and hereditary disorders, muscular dystrophy being one of them, as they are becoming the most common medical problems. In this essay, muscular dystrophy will be described as well as some of the many groups associated with it.
             Muscular dystrophy is characterized as the progressive wasting and weakening of the muscles. It is a group of hereditary disorders, the most severe and common form being Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). This disease affects a far greater number of males, approximately 1 out of every 3500 born, than females (Cooper, 1997). The cellular defects associated with DMD are well understood; however, there is still some speculation over the actions that take place at the molecular level.
             The treatment available for DMD patients is very limited. However, there has been promising research done with stem cells, antibiotics and gene therapies that offer new hope for sufferers of DMD. Many of these studies have been done on mdx mice, an animal model for DMD that possesses the same genetic defect as humans who suffer with the disease (Agrawal et al., 1999). These studies offer a new ray of hope, not only for those suffering with DMD, but also for people who suffer from various types of muscular degenerative diseases.
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