What is the chance that a son of a Duchenne muscular dystrophy carrier will inherit the condition?

If a woman is a confirmed carrier of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, there is a 50 percent probability that she will transmit the defective gene to each of her sons. Because the condition is X-linked, a son who inherits the mutated gene will manifest the disease, as he does not have a second X chromosome to provide a functional copy of the gene.1

It is important to note that while the probability of passing the gene to any child (son or daughter) is 50 percent, the clinical expression differs by sex: daughters who inherit the gene typically become carriers themselves but do not manifest the disease, whereas sons who inherit the gene will be affected. If a woman's carrier status is uncertain, genetic counseling and molecular testing are recommended to determine the specific risk more accurately.12