The terms 'muscle disease', ‘muscular dystrophy', ‘neuromuscular conditions' and ‘neuromuscular disorders' all describe a large group of conditions which affect either the muscles, such as those in the arms and legs or heart and lungs, or the nerves which control the muscles.
There are lots of different types of muscle disease and the conditions affect different muscles. The severity of the conditions and how they affect individuals varies greatly from person to person. Most conditions are progressive, causing the muscles to gradually weaken over time. People's mobility is affected and most conditions lead to some sort of disability.
Muscle disease affects babies, children and adults, both males and females, and all ethnic groups; around 70,000 people in the UK are affected. Conditions can be inherited or occur out of the blue where there is no family history.
The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign is the leading UK charity focusing on all muscle disease.
Their work has four main focuses:
- they provide free practical and emotional support
- they fund world-class research to find effective treatments and cures
- they campaign to raise awareness and bring about change
- they award grants towards the cost of specialist equipment, such as powered wheelchairs
In 2008 the campaign invested £1,743,000 into research and £1,735,000 into providing care and information.
The campaign relies almost entirely on voluntary donations and legacies to fund their work. Dedicated children and adults, companies, trusts and foundations help them to raise money to fund their vital work.
Click here to read more about the Campaign.
