Epidemiology

DMD is the most common muscular dystrophy. The incidence of DMD is estimated at around 1 in 5000 live male births.[8][9][10]​​​​​​​ One study reported a point prevalence of 1.9 per 100,000 males in the US, with values for the UK, Canada, and France of 2.2, 6.1, and 10.9 per 100,000 males, respectively.[9] Incidence has been reported to be decreasing in industrialized countries due to medical advances and reproductive planning.[8] The related condition Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) has a reported prevalence of less than 8 per 100,000 males.[11]

Girls or women with DMD or BMD are very rare; some female carriers of the affected gene may show mild symptoms.[11]

Other less common muscular dystrophies include myotonic dystrophy, an autosomal dominant disorder that has a reported prevalence of between 1 in 3000 and 1 in 8000 people.[12]​ Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy has a reported prevalence of between 1 in 15,000 and 1 in 20,000 people.[13]​ Limb-girdle muscular dystrophies are rare, with an estimated combined minimum prevalence of 2.38 per 100,000 people, and may have autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or sporadic inheritance.[14]​ Congenital muscular dystrophies, a heterogeneous group of rare muscular dystrophies that usually have autosomal recessive transmission, have an estimated prevalence of around 1 in 100,000 people in European populations.​[15]

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has an estimated incidence of approximately 1 in 11,000 live births. There is evidence of improved survival and outcomes in recent years.[3]​ SMA is an autosomal recessive disease; approximately 2% of cases are due to a new gene mutation.[16]

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