Study Finds an Abnormality in RNA May Lead to Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy

Also called Steinert's Disease it’s a common form of MD and like other forms of MD is an inherited disease affecting approximately thirty thousand people in the United States. Unlike Duchenne's, Steinert’s affects males and females at roughly the same ratio and symptoms can appear anytime throughout the lifetime of the patient beginning in infancy. It causes weakness that begins in the muscles of the extremities such as hands and feet, but can also affect the muscles of the face and neck. Like other forms of MD it’s slow progressing disease that will eventually lead to weakness and lack of function in other muscle groups which includes organ groups as well such as the heart. A very severe congenital form of the disease known as Thomsen’s Disease (TD) may appear in newborns These newborns are always the offspring of mothers that have DM.