Muscular dystrophy refers to a group of muscle disorders in which the face, arm, leg, spine, or heart muscles gradually shrink and weaken over time. Most types of MD are multi-system disorders with manifestations in body systems including the heart, gastrointestinal and nervous systems, endocrine glands, skin, eyes and even brain. The condition may also lead to mood swings and learning difficulties. Muscular dystrophies are inherited.

There are a variety of types of muscular dystrophy, including:

• Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• myotonic dystrophy
• Becker's muscular dystrophy
• facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
• the limb-girdle muscular dystrophies
• Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy
• mitochondrial myopathies
• oculopharyngeal dystrophy
• distal muscular dystrophy