What are the early symptoms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

Symptoms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy typically emerge in early childhood, usually between the ages of two and six, as children begin to walk and engage in more physical activity.12

Early signs and symptoms include:

• Muscle weakness: Often manifesting as a waddling gait and difficulty climbing stairs.12
• Frequent falls: Children may struggle to keep up with their peers due to balance and strength issues.312
• Gowers sign: A characteristic movement where a child must use their hands to "walk" up their own legs to transition from a sitting or lying position to a standing one.12
• Enlarged calves: A paradoxical increase in calf muscle size, known as pseudohypertrophy, caused by the replacement of muscle fibers with fat and fibrous tissue.412
• Motor difficulties: Inability to raise the knees effectively and the disappearance of normal knee or ankle reflexes.1

As the condition progresses, these symptoms become more pronounced, eventually leading to the loss of the ability to walk, typically by the teenage years.312