Muscular dystrophy is a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass. In muscular dystrophy, abnormal genes (mutations) interfere with the production of proteins needed to form healthy muscle.

In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause nerves to deteriorate or become permanently damaged.

On the Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Jennifer Martinez-Thompson, a Mayo Clinic neurologist, discusses treatment options for muscular dystrophy and MS. Also on the program, Dr. Erica Loomis, a Mayo Clinic trauma and critical care surgeon, explains what causes intestinal obstruction and how it's treated. And Dr. Colin Driscoll, a Mayo Clinic otolaryngologist, tells us about the health consequences of untreated hearing loss.