Dystrophy

Faulty nutrition.

Progressive weakening of a muscle.

Degeneration or defective development of a tissue, especially muscles, which loses strength and decreases in size.

A progressive condition caused by defective nourishment of an organ or system. Muscular dystrophy is a group of disorders characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness. The most common muscular dystrophies seem to be linked to a genetic deficiency of the muscle protein known as dystrophin.

A disorder of an organ or tissue, usually muscle, due to impaired nourishment of the affected part. The term is applied to several unrelated conditions; for example, ‘muscular dystrophy and dystrophia adiposogenitalis.

Dystrophy means defective or faulty nutrition, and is a term applied to a group of developmental changes occurring in the muscles, independently of the nervous system. The best-known form is progressive muscular dystrophy, a group of hereditary disorders characterized by symmetrical wasting and weakness, with no sensory loss. There are three types: Duchenne (usually occurring in boys within the first three years of life); limb girdle (occurring in either sex in the second or third decade); and facio-scapulo-humeral (either sex, any age). The three types have different prognoses, but may lead to severe disability and premature death, often from respiratory failure. The third type progresses very slowly, however, and is compatible with a long life.

A disorder caused by defective nutrition or metabolism.

Any condition characterized by the disruption of cellular structure and normal function within a body tissue due to insufficient nourishment of that particular area. The precise cause of such disorders often remains unidentified, but potential factors could include impaired blood circulation in the tissue, nerve damage, or a deficiency of specific enzymes within the affected tissue.

Instances of dystrophy encompass muscular dystrophies and leukodystrophies. Among them are corneal dystrophies, a condition where the cells lining the cornea of the eye are impaired, leading to a rare but significant cause of blindness.