Muscular Dystrophy Association - Definition

Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is a U.S. organization founded in 1950 which combats muscular dystrophy and diseases of the nervous system and muscular system in general by funding research, providing medical and community services, and educating health professionals and the general public.

MDA targets the following muscular dystrophy diseases:

1. Duchenne muscular dystrophy
2. Becker's muscular dystrophy
3. Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy
4. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy
5. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
6. Myotonic dystrophy
7. Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy
8. Distal muscular dystrophy
9. Congenital muscular dystrophy

It also targets the following:

1. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
2. Infantile spinal muscular atrophy
3. Juvenile, Intermediate, and Adult spinal muscular atrophy
4. Spinal bulbar muscular atrophy
5. Dermatomyositis
6. Polymyositis
7. Inclusion body myositis
8. Myasthenia gravis
9. Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome
10. Congenital myasthenic syndrome
11. Hyperthyroid myopathy
12. Hypothyroid myopathy
13. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
14. Friedreich's ataxia
15. Dejerine-Sottas disease
16. Myotonia congenita, both Thomsen's and Becker's Disease
17. Paramyotonia congenita
18. Central core disease
19. Nemaline myopathy
20. Myotubular myopathy
21. Periodic paralysis, both Hypokalemic and Hyperkalemic
22. Mitochondrial myopathy, a mitochondrial disease

It also targets muscle diseases due to deficiencies in carnitine and the following enzymes:

1. Phosphorylase
2. Acid Maltase (Pompe's disease)
3. Phosphofructokinase
4. Debrancher enzyme (also known as Amylo-1,6-glucosidase); a glycogen storage disease also known as Forbes disease
5. Carnitine palmityl transferase
6. Phosphoglycerate kinase
7. Phosphoglycerate mutase
8. Lactate dehydrogenase
9. Myoadenylate deaminase

MDA's national headquarters are in Tucson, Arizona. Its most visible fundraising event is the "Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon" held every Labor Day weekend since 1966.

Better Business Bureau assessment of MDA

According to a Better Business Bureau summary released in February 2004:

• MDA oversees a network of 230 hospital-affiliated clinics providing diagnosis and treatment;
• In 2003, 4500 children and young adults, between the ages of 6 - 21, attended week-long summer camps sponsored by MDA;
• Research and clinical trials on treatments for Lou Gehrig's disease are conducted in 30 MDA/ALS centers;
• MDA has a paid staff of 1353 people;
• Of the $166.5 million donated because of fund-raising activities (mostly its annual telethon), %17 of that was spent on the fund-raising activities themselves.

External links and sources

• Organization's website (http://www.mdausa.org/)
• Wise Giving Alliance report on MDA (http://www.give.org/reports/care_dyn.asp?278) from the Better Business Bureau