What is muscle disease?

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. Different conditions affect different muscles. 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. The severity of conditions and how they affect individuals varies greatly from person to person. Muscle disease affects babies, children and adults, both males and females and all ethnic groups. Conditions are often inherited but can also occur out of the blue where there is no family history.

Ex. 21. Read the article Muscular Dystrophy and retell it in Russian. The words given below will help you in your work.

• genetic = inherited - наследственный

• a pacemaker-вводитель ритма

• to vary-изменяться

• to expect – ждать; expectancy-продолжительность

• to shorten-сокращать.

Text G. Muscular Dystrophy

The medical condition called muscular dystrophy is a group of genetic (inherited) diseases in which there is progressive weakness of the muscles which control movement. Sometimes the muscles of the heart and some other muscles are also affected. Muscular dystrophy can affect people of all ages. Although some forms first appear in infancy or childhood, others may not appear until middle age or later. The most common type affecting children is known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. There is no specific treatment for any of the types of muscular dystrophy. Therapy which prevents contractions and corrective orthopedic surgery may be needed. They can improve the quality of life in some cases. When heart muscles are affected, an artificial pacemaker which keeps the heart beating, may be needed. The future for sufferers of muscular dystrophy varies according to the type and speed of progression of the problem. Some cases may be mild and very slowly progressive, with normal life expectancy. In other cases there may be more rapid progression of muscle weakness and inability to walk. Breathing difficulties may shorten life.

Ex. 22. Translate at sight. Just Facts.

• You have over 30 facial muscles which create looks like surprise, happiness, sadness, and frowning.

• Eye muscles are the busiest muscles in the body. Scientists estimate that they may move more than 100,000 times a day!

• The largest muscle in the body is the gluteus maximus muscle in the buttocks.

Ex. 23. Test yourself. To test how much you have learned from this unit, please indicate if each statement is true or false.

1. All movement in the body is the result of muscle contraction without exception.

2. In addition to movement, muscle contraction also fulfills some other important functions in the body, such as posture, joint stability, and heat     production. 3. Each organ or muscle consists of skeletal muscle tissue, connective     tissue, nerve tissue, and blood or vascular tissue. 4. Skeletal muscle cells (fibers), unlike other body cells, are hard and strong. 5. Smooth muscle, attached to bones, is responsible for skeletal movements.

6. Cardiac muscle, found in the walls of the heart, is under control of the     autonomic nervous system. 7. The tongue is the strongest muscle in our body.

8. Many different muscles in the human body can be characterized as the "strongest", depending on what definition (определение) of "strongest" is used.

Home work.

Ex. 24. Read and translate the sentences with whether (if).

1. We must understand whether the drug is safe and effective in its use.

2. The researchers compare the effects of a given treatment against no treatment to understand whether the medicine works.

3. It is very important to know whether the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks.

4. It is not possible to predict whether a mild rash will develop into a more serious reaction.

5. This test is deciding whether one drug has advantages over another or whether one type of patients has better recovery compared with another.

6. The decision whether to begin or to delay therapeutic measures is often very difficult.

7. After the cause is determined the doctor decides whether treatment is actually necessary.

8. The laparoscopy helps to determine if the cancer is within the gallbladder only or if it has spread to nearby tissues and if it can be remove red by surgery.

9. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the old ones.

10. Symptoms may vary and only a doctor can determine if erosions of the esophagus have occurred.