Myotonic Dystrophy Health Article

OTHER

Myotonic Dystrophy Website. <http://www.umd.necker.fr/myotonic_dystrophy.html>.

NCBI Genes and Disease Web Page. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disease/Myotonic.html>.

Smith, Corrine O'Sullivan. "Myotonic Dystrophy: Making an Informed Choice About Genetic Testing." University of Washington. <http://www.depts.washington.edu/neurogen/Myotonic.pdf>.

Karen M. Krajewski, M.S., C.G.C.

KEY TERMS

Electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG)—A test that uses electrodes attached to the chest with an adhesive gel to transmit the electrical impulses of the heart muscle to a recording device.

Electromyography (EMG)—A test that uses electrodes to record the electrical activity of muscle. The information gathered is used to diagnose neuromuscular disorders.

Muscular dystrophy—A group of inherited diseases characterized by progressive wasting of the muscles.

Sleep apnea—Temporary cessation of breathing while sleeping.

Trinucleotide repeat expansion—A sequence of three nucleotides that is repeated too many times in a section of a gene.