muscular dystrophy

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. a hereditary disease characterized by gradual wasting of the muscles with replacement by scar tissue and fat, sometimes also affecting the heart.

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muscular dystrophy British  

noun

1. a genetic disease characterized by progressive deterioration and wasting of muscle fibres, causing difficulty in walking

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muscular dystrophy Scientific  

/ mŭs′kyə-lərdĭs′trə-fē /

1. Any of a group of inherited progressive muscle disorders caused by a defect in one or more genes that control muscle function and characterized by gradual irreversible wasting of skeletal muscle.

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muscular dystrophy Cultural  

1. A hereditary disease in which the muscles progressively waste away. The disease can be potentially treated through gene therapy.

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Etymology

Origin of muscular dystrophy

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Sarcopenia is a form of muscular dystrophy associated with aging and is a popular condition for biotech companies that harbor greater goals of reversing or slowing aging to target.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

These conditions account for roughly 10% of inherited diseases, including cystic fibrosis and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

The only car here that doesn’t have a Ferrari badge is a lime-green 1972 Dino GTS, named after Enzo Ferrari’s son who died of muscular dystrophy at age 24.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

A third patient died in a study examining the efficacy of the therapy with regard to a different disease called limb-girdle muscular dystrophy.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

There were tiny babies with club feet, children who had paralyzed limbs from polio, adolescents dying from muscular dystrophy.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall