Harrisons Fund | News | World Duchenne Awareness Day 2020

World Duchenne Awareness Day 2020

02 Sep 2020

September 7 is World Duchenne Awareness Day. On this day we raise awareness for Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD and BMD) around the globe.

As every year, we have a special theme that deserves more attention. This year that will be Duchenne and the brain.The same protein that is missing in the muscles causing muscle breakdown, is also missing in the brain. This can cause problems like learning difficulties and behavioral issues such as ADD, ADHD, OCD and autism. For many families, these issues result in more stress and worries in daily life than the physical problems.

This crucial neurological aspect of DMD/BMD was already recognized in 1861, when Duchenne de Boulogne first described this neuromuscular condition. In the last decades however, most of the efforts have focused on improving outcomes related to muscle weakness. Brain involvement received less attention.

What we plea for is early screening, appropriate testing, more research and better care on this aspect of the disease. This is absolutely needed in order to have everyone reach their full potential.

To help us raise awareness this WDAD, please visit our social media pages and change your profile picture to the red balloon logo that we are using for the day.

Thank you.