• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment

Definition:

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is progressive muscle weakness and loss of muscle tissue. It mainly affects the face, shoulder, and upper arm muscles.

See also: Muscular dystrophy

Alternative Names:

Landouzy-Dejerine muscular dystrophy

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy affects the upper body, unlike Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy , which affect the lower body.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder. It appears in both men and women and may develop in a child if either parent carries the gene for the disorder.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy affects approximately 5 out of 100,000 people. It affects men and women equally.

• Review Date: 5/16/2007
• Reviewed By: Brian Kirmse, MD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.