Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy

Editor's note: This article was updated on Jan. 6, 2011, to include a direct, free link to the Journal of Child Neurology article about the CMD guidelines.

A panel of 82 international experts — including several MDA grantees and clinic directors — has produced the first-ever care guidelines for the congenital muscular dystrophies (CMD), a group of genetic neuromuscular disorders that have their onset at birth or in early infancy.

Families affected by either of two forms of congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD), known as Ullrich CMD and Bethlem myopathy, are invited to help with an MDA-supported data collection project at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The project's investigators are seeking to correlate genetic and clinical (symptom-related) information to improve understanding of these diseases and begin to develop treatments.

About Ullrich CMD and Bethlem myopathy

The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced today that 38 more diseases have been added to its Compassionate Allowances list, including four forms of congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) and Leigh syndrome, a form of mitochondrial myopathy.

Scientists in the United States and Japan have identified a three-protein cluster that reseals damaged muscle-fiber membranes. The findings, published June 5, 2009, in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, could have implications for development of treatments for muscular dystrophies.