Becker muscular dystrophy

Becker muscular dystrophy is a muscle wasting condition that usually affects only males. It involves much the same parts of the body as Duchenne MD, but the symptoms tend to be less severe.

Becker muscular dystrophy (Becker MD) usually starts showing itself in childhood, and the symptoms are often mild at first. A child with Becker MD might:

• learn to walk later than usual
• get muscle cramps during exercise
• struggle with sports at school
• have difficulty running, climbing stairs and getting up from the floor
• have difficulty lifting heavy objects above their head
• have difficulty lifting their arms above shoulder level
• have learning and/or behavioural difficulties or autism

Becker muscular dystrophy is a sex linked (X-linked) type of muscular dystrophy. To see what that means, it helps to know how chromosomes differ between males and females. Chromosomes are long, threadlike structures of DNA. Males have one X and one Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes.

A sex linked disorder is caused by a mutation in a gene on the X chromosome. Males have only one copy of each gene on the X chromosome, so they'll be affected if one of those genes is mutated.

Females have 2 copies of the X chromosome, so they're less likely to develop an X-linked condition like Becker muscular dystrophy. The healthy copy of the chromosome can usually cover for (mask) the mutated version. Females can still be affected by X-linked disorders, but the symptoms are likely to be less severe.

Doctors use several methods to diagnose muscular dystrophy, including Becker muscular dystrophy. Which ones they use in your case may depend on your situation, and the diagnosis might involve:

• looking into your symptoms
• your family history
• a physical exam
• blood tests
• electrical tests on the nerves and muscles
• muscle biopsy (where a sample of tissue is removed for testing)

Contact a doctor if you or your child has:

• muscle weakness
• mobility problems

Treatment can help with many of the symptoms of Becker MD (Becker muscular dystrophy).

Physical problems might be helped with:

• low-impact exercise like swimming
• physiotherapy to work on muscle strength and flexibility
• physical aids like a walking stick, crutches or a wheelchair
• occupational therapy to help maintain independence

People with Becker MD may eventually become unable to walk and need a wheelchair. Occasionally this happens in their 20's and 30's, but that is rare. It normally happens as a person gets older, in their 40's, 50's or even later.

Your heart muscles, and the muscles you use to breathe, might be affected by muscular dystrophy. This can cause life threatening complications.

After a diagnosis, your heart function should be assessed by a cardiologist (a heart specialist), if that hasn't been done already.

Some people with Becker MD have heart problems (cardiomyopathy). This can happen at any age. These problems often don't cause any symptoms, and there are treatments available. If you have Becker MD, you should have regular heart monitoring as part of your care.

You'll probably have regular electrocardiograms (ECGs) to check your heart rhythm. You might occasionally have an echocardiogram too. An MRI scan might be done to look for heart problems.

You might be advised to take medicine for your heart problems. Your doctor might prescribe ACE inhibitors, beta blockers or other medicines.

Your heart rhythm might be affected. You might have a pacemaker or an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) put in to help your heart work properly.

You might also have problems with breathing. These are more common in the later stages of the condition.

People with Becker MD are at a higher risk of complications during general anaesthesia, which can be because of their heart and breathing problems. If you need a general anaesthetic, it's important to tell your doctor that you have Becker MD.

Bladder problems are common in people with muscle disorders like muscular dystrophy.

You might have urinary incontinence, where you pee by accident. This is often caused by weakness of the pelvic floor muscles, together with weakness of the core muscles.

You're more likely to have urinary incontinence if you:

• have poor mobility
• spend a lot of time sitting down

Pelvic floor exercise may help. An urgent need to pee can sometimes be helped with medicine.

You might also have bowel problems like:

• chronic constipation
• diarrhoea with little warning
• bowel incontinence

Some people drink less water than is recommended so they won't need the toilet during the day. This could cause dehydration, which can make constipation worse and add to bowel problems.

Using a gentle laxative like Lactulose regularly during the week may help.

An assessment by a psychologist can help people with behavioural problems, learning difficulties or autism as a result of Becker MD.

Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (Becker MD) usually affect only males. But some females can be affected too, and they are called manifesting carriers.

The symptoms can be very mild. You might only have muscle pain and cramps.

Sometimes you might have heart problems (cardiomyopathy) without any weakness in your limbs. Rarely, you might have severe limb weakness similar to Becker MD.

Your doctor may do a physical exam and some blood tests to help confirm whether you are a manifesting carrier of Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy (MD). A muscle MRI can sometimes help as well.

You'll also see a cardiologist (a heart specialist), who will check how well your heart is working. You're likely to have an ECG and an echocardiogram.

With Becker muscular dystrophy, you might gradually start to lose strength and mobility as your MD symptoms progress.

Physical problems might be helped with:

• low-impact exercise like swimming
• physiotherapy to work on muscle strength and flexibility
• physical aids like a walking stick, crutches or a wheelchair
• occupational therapy to help maintain independence

You might be advised to take medicine for your heart problems, like ACE inhibitors or beta blockers.

Pain is common as part of your symptoms. You might be prescribed painkillers to help manage it.

Speak to your doctor if you're feeling anxious or depressed. There are treatment options and resources available to help you.

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