Throughout life, DMD patients will need extensive care, as they will rapidly lose the ability to move and function on their own. Due to their muscle deterioration, patients of DMD will lose their ability to walk by age 12, and will thus need a powered wheelchair. As such, they will continue to need more and more help with daily tasks. In order to combat the symptoms of DMD, the patients will have to undergo various treatments ranging from drug dosages to assisted breathing. Family members will have to assume the responsibility of making sure that the patient is undergoing said performances in the absence of a doctor. This treatment may last until the family can find a suitable caregiver for the patient, or until the patient unfortunately passes. Parents will also need to spend more time teaching the child various concepts, as their disorder is also known to have a link with learning disabilities. (DMD - Signs and Symptoms, 2015) In summary, the family members of a patient with DMD will have to allocate more of their time towards assisting them with some tasks.
Although the degradation of muscles is unavoidable in DMD patients, there are certain treatments that physicians use in order to slow down the process. Physicians typically use steroid drugs to do so, which are used to build up muscle quicker. The steroids would act in direct opposition of the disorder, thus allowing the patient to maintain their strength for a slightly extended amount of time. The use of things such as amino acids, green tea extracts, and coenzyme Q10 are also used to help the patient maintain their muscle strength as long as possible. Later on in life, the patient will start to develop more health complications due to the rapidly worsening disorder. When the patent's lungs begin to weaken, they may start to use assisted ventilation. When their myocardium (muscle layer on the heart) starts to deteriorate, they will have to use drugs such as angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors. (Haldeman-Englert, 2014)Despite all of these physical issues, patients of DMD are encouraged to pursue an active lifestyle, as regular exercise will help them maintain muscle mass easier. Inactivity would only allow the disorder to act quicker.
Background Image 6. Patient with DMD and his father. Ryan Ballou Local [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://www.post-gazette.com/image/2014/12/29/ca193,0,2356,2163/20141229radRyanBallouLocal03-2.jpg