Determinants of the incidence of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an X-linked disorder, is the most common muscular dystrophy with an incidence in boys of about 200 per million births. It presents in early childhood leading to death in early teens. Its relatively high incidence and severity have stimulated many studies from epidemiological to curative. Recent advances in molecular biology have opened up the possibility of carrier identification and potential reduction of the incidence of cases. This paper gives a population genetics model which can be used to predict the reduction in incidence.