Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy has a poor prognosis. Most children with FCMD reach a maximum mobility at sitting upright and sliding. Due to the compounded effects of continually worsening heart problems, impaired mental development, problems swallowing and additional complications, children with FCMD rarely live through adolescence, the disorder proves fatal by age 20.

DM1 is the most common form of myotonic muscular dystrophy diagnosed in children, with a prevalence ranging from 1 per 100,000 in Japan to 3-15 per 100,000 in Europe. The prevalence may be as high as 1 in 500 in regions such as Quebec, possibly due to the founder effect. In most populations, DM1 appears to be more common than DM2. However, recent studies suggest that type 2 may be as common as type 1 among people in Germany and Finland.

The incidence of congenital myotonic dystrophy is thought to be about 1:20,000. DM occurs in about 1 per 7,000–8,000 people and has been described in people from all over the world. It affects males and females approximately equally. About 30,000 people in the United States are affected.

The disease is found across 5 continents (30 countries) and is frequently seen in French Canadians, with a prevalence 1:1000. OPMD affects males and females equally, and affected individuals have been found in Europe (France), Jewish Ashkenazi, and Spanish Americans.

Jalili syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by the combination of cone-rod dystrophy of the retina and amelogenesis imperfecta. It was characterized in 1988 by Dr. I. K. Jalili and Dr. N. J. D. Smith, following the examination of 29 members of an inbred, Arab family living within the Gaza Strip.

Several mutations have been implicated as a cause of Oguchi disease. These include mutations in the arrestin gene or the rhodopsin kinase gene.

The condition is more frequent in individuals of Japanese ethnicity.

Becker muscular dystrophy is an X-linked recessive inherited disorder characterized by slowly progressive muscle weakness of the legs and pelvis. It is a type of dystrophinopathy. This is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, which encodes the protein dystrophin. Becker muscular dystrophy is related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy in that both result from a mutation in the "dystrophin" gene.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare progressive disease which eventually affects all voluntary muscles and involves the heart and breathing muscles in later stages. As of 2013, the life expectancy is estimated to be around 25, but this varies. With excellent medical care males are often living into their 30s.

In rare cases, people with DMD have been seen to survive into their forties or early fifties, with proper positioning in wheelchairs and beds, and the use of ventilator support (via tracheostomy or mouthpiece), airway clearance, and heart medications. Early planning of the required supports for later-life care has shown greater longevity for people with DMD.

Curiously, in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the lack of dystrophin is associated with increased calcium levels and skeletal muscle myonecrosis. The intrinsic laryngeal muscles (ILMs) are protected and do not undergo myonecrosis. ILMs have a calcium regulation system profile suggestive of a better ability to handle calcium changes in comparison to other muscles, and this may provide a mechanistic insight for their unique pathophysiological properties. The ILM may facilitate the development of novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of muscle wasting in a variety of clinical scenarios.

The Jalili syndrome is caused by different mutations all with a linkage at the achromatopsia locus 2q11 on the metal transporter gene, CNNM4. Sequence analysis of this gene within Jalili syndrome sufferers has identified homozygosity or compound heterozygosity for several different mutations in the CNNM4 gene.

The disorder is inherited with an X-linked recessive inheritance pattern. The gene is located on the X chromosome. Since women have two X chromosomes, if one X chromosome has the non-working gene, the second X chromosome will have a working copy of the gene to compensate, because of this ability to compensate, women rarely develop symptoms. All dystrophinopathies are inherited in an X-linked recessive manner. The risk to the siblings of an affected individual depends upon the carrier status of the mother. Carrier females have a 50% chance of passing the DMD mutation in each pregnancy. Sons who inherit the mutation will be affected; daughters who inherit the mutation will be carriers. Men who have Becker muscular dystrophy can have children, and all their daughters are carriers, but none of the sons will inherit their father's mutation.

Becker muscular dystrophy occurs in approximately 1.5 to 6 in 100,000 male births, making it much less common than Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Symptoms usually appear in men at about ages 8–25, but may sometimes begin later. Genetic counseling may be advisable when potential carriers or patients want to have children. Sons of a man with Becker muscular dystrophy do not develop the disorder, but daughters will be carriers (and some carriers can experience some symptoms of muscular dystrophy), the daughters' sons may develop the disorder.

DMD is caused by a mutation of the dystrophin gene at locus Xp21, located on the short arm of the X chromosome. Dystrophin is responsible for connecting the cytoskeleton of each muscle fiber to the underlying basal lamina (extracellular matrix), through a protein complex containing many subunits. The absence of dystrophin permits excess calcium to penetrate the sarcolemma (the cell membrane). Alterations in calcium and signalling pathways cause water to enter into the mitochondria, which then burst.

In skeletal muscle dystrophy, mitochondrial dysfunction gives rise to an amplification of stress-induced cytosolic calcium signals and an amplification of stress-induced reactive-oxygen species production. In a complex cascading process that involves several pathways and is not clearly understood, increased oxidative stress within the cell damages the sarcolemma and eventually results in the death of the cell. Muscle fibers undergo necrosis and are ultimately replaced with adipose and connective tissue.

DMD is inherited in an X-linked recessive pattern. Females typically are carriers for the disease, while males are affected. A female carrier will be unaware she carries a mutation until she has an affected son. The son of a carrier mother has a 50% chance of inheriting the defective gene from his mother. The daughter of a carrier mother has a 50% chance of being a carrier and a 50% chance of having two normal copies of the gene. In all cases, an unaffected father either passes a normal Y to his son or a normal X to his daughter. Female carriers of an X-linked recessive condition, such as DMD, can show symptoms depending on their pattern of X-inactivation. DMD has an incidence of one in 3,600 male infants. Mutations within the dystrophin gene can either be inherited or occur spontaneously during germline transmission.

Disruption of the blood-brain barrier has been seen to be a noted feature in the development of DMD.

In 2007 the FSHD Global Research Foundation was established to increase the amount of funding available to research bodies. The Foundation has identified 13 priority areas of interest for FSHD research.

X-linked recessive inheritance is a mode of inheritance in which a mutation in a gene on the X chromosome causes the phenotype to be expressed in males (who are necessarily hemizygous for the gene mutation because they have one X and one Y chromosome) and in females who are homozygous for the gene mutation, see zygosity.

X-linked inheritance means that the gene causing the trait or the disorder is located on the X chromosome. Females have two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y chromosome. Carrier females who have only one copy of the mutation do not usually express the phenotype, although differences in X chromosome inactivation can lead to varying degrees of clinical expression in carrier females since some cells will express one X allele and some will express the other. The current estimate of sequenced X-linked genes is 499 and the total including vaguely defined traits is 983.

Some scholars have suggested discontinuing the terms dominant and recessive when referring to X-linked inheritance due to the multiple mechanisms that can result in the expression of X-linked traits in females, which include cell autonomous expression, skewed X-inactivation, clonal expansion, and somatic mosaicism.

Sensenbrenner syndrome (OMIM #218330) is a rare (less than 20 cases reported by 2010) multisystem disease first described in 1975. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion, and a number of genes appear to be responsible. Three genes responsible have been identified: intraflagellar transport (IFT)122 (WDR10), IFT43 — a subunit of the IFT complex A machinery of primary cilia, and WDR35 (IFT121: TULP4)

It is also known as Sensenbrenner–Dorst–Owens syndrome, Levin Syndrome I and cranioectodermal dysplasia (CED)

Some cases of it are linked to chromosome 10q24, others stem from a mutation in the TGFBI gene.

Corneal-cerebellar syndrome (also known as Der Kaloustian-Jarudi-Khoury syndrome) is an autosomally resessive disease that was first described in 1985. Three cases are known: all are sisters in the same family.

It was concluded by Mousa-Al et al. that the disease is different from a disease known as spastic ataxia-corneal dystrophy syndrome that had been found a year later in 1986 in an inbred Bedouin family. Corneal-cerebellar syndrome differs from the spastic ataxia-corneal dystrophy syndrome by causing mental retardation. Corneal dystrophy is also epithelian instead of being stromal.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHMD, FSHD or FSH)—originally named Landouzy-Dejerine—is a usually autosomal dominant inherited form of muscular dystrophy (MD) that initially affects the skeletal muscles of the face (facio), scapula (scapulo) and upper arms (humeral). FSHD is the third most common genetic disease of skeletal muscle. Orpha.net lists the prevalence as 4/100,000 while a 2014 population-based study in the Netherlands reported a significantly higher prevalence of 12 in 100,000.

Symptoms may develop in early childhood and are usually noticeable in the teenage years, with 95% of affected individuals manifesting disease by age 20 years. A progressive skeletal muscle weakness usually develops in other areas of the body as well; often the weakness is asymmetrical. Life expectancy can be threatened by respiratory insufficiency, and up to 20% of affected individuals become severely disabled, requiring use of a wheel chair or mobility scooter. In a Dutch study, approximately 1% of patients required (nocturnal or diurnal) ventilatory support. Non-muscular symptoms frequently associated with FSHD include subclinical sensorineural hearing loss and retinal telangiectasia.

In more than 95% of known cases, the disease is associated with contraction of the D4Z4 repeat in the 4q35 subtelomeric region of Chromosome 4. Seminal research published in August 2010 now shows the disease requires a second mechanism, which for the first time provides a unifying theory for its underlying genetics. The second mechanism is a "toxic gain of function" of the DUX4 gene, which is the first time in genetic research that a "dead gene" has been found to "wake up" and cause disease.

Building on the 2010 unified theory of FSHD, researchers in 2014 published the first proposed pathophysiology definition of the disease and four viable therapeutic targets for possible intervention points.

The genetics of congenital muscular dystrophy are autosomal recessive which means two copies of an abnormal gene must be present

for the disease or trait to happen. In the case of collagen VI-deficient, it is autosomal dominant, which means a child could inherit the disease from only one copy of a gene present in only one parent.

The prevalence for congenital muscular dystrophy seems to be between 2.6-4.5 in 10,000 according to Reed, 2009. MDCIA, for example is due to a mutation in the LAMA-2 gene and is involved with the 6q2 chromosome.

The prognosis of this sub-type of MD indicates that the affected individual may eventually have feeding difficulties. Surgery, at some point, might be an option for scoliosis.

Scoliosis which is a sideways curve of the persons vertebrate, is determined by a variety of factors, including the degree (mild or severe), in which case if possible a brace might be used by the individual

Currently no cure or specific treatment exists to eliminate the symptoms or stop the disease progression. A consistent diet planned with the help of a dietitian along with exercises taught by a speech therapist can assist with mild symptoms of dysphagia. Surgical intervention can also help temporarily manage symptoms related to the ptosis and dysphagia. Cutting one of the throat muscles internally, an operation called cricopharyngeal myotomy, can be one way to ease symptoms in more severe cases.

Physical therapy and specifically designed exercises may assist with proximal limb weakness, though there is still no current definitive data showing it will stop the progress of the disease. Many of those affected with the proximal limb weakness will eventually require assistive devices such as a wheelchair. As with all surgical procedures, they come with many risk factors. As the dysphagia becomes more severe, patients become malnourished, lose significant weight, become dehydrated and suffer from repeated incidents of aspiration pneumonia. These last two are often the cause of death.

Myotonic dystrophy is a genetic condition which is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern and thus will be passed along to 50% of a carrier's offspring, on average. Myotonic dystrophy is one of several known trinucleotide repeat disorders. Certain areas of DNA have repeated sequences of two or three nucleotides.

Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is an inherited disease. A severe form of DM, congenital myotonic dystrophy, may appear in newborns of mothers who have DM. Congenital myotonic dystrophy can also be inherited via the paternal gene, although it is said to be relatively rare. Congenital means that the condition is present from birth.

In terms of the genetics LGMD is an inherited disorder, though it may be inherited as a dominant or recessive genetic defect. The result of the defect is that the muscles cannot properly form certain proteins needed for normal muscle function. Several different proteins can be affected, and the specific protein that is absent or defective identifies the specific type of muscular dystrophy. Among the proteins affected in LGMD are α, β, γ and δ sarcoglycans. The sarcoglycanopathies could be possibly amenable to gene therapy.

The cause of Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy is rooted in the FKTN gene, located at human chromosome 9q31, codes for the protein fukutin. Mutations in this gene, and therefore the fukutin protein, are the cause of FCMD. The disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner.

This means the defective gene responsible for the disorder is located on an autosome (chromosome 9 is an autosome), and two copies of the defective gene (one inherited from each parent) are required in order to be born with the disorder. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive disorder both carry one copy of the defective gene but usually do not experience any signs or symptoms of the disorder.

Two mutations have been identified. The first and most common is an SVA retrotransposal insertion in the 3'-untranslated region. The second is a deep-intronic point mutation c.647+2084G>T. This second mutation has only been found to date in the presence of the first mutation.

Reis-Bücklers corneal dystrophy is not associated with any systemic conditions.

Retinitis pigmentosa is the leading cause of inherited blindness, with approximately 1/4,000 individuals experiencing the non-syndromic form of their disease within their lifetime. It is estimated that 1.5 million people worldwide are currently affected. Early onset RP occurs within the first few years of life and is typically associated with syndromic disease forms, while late onset RP emerges from early to mid-adulthood.

Autosomal dominant and recessive forms of retinitis pigmentosa affect both male and female populations equally; however, the less frequent X-linked form of the disease affects male recipients of the X-linked mutation, while females usually remain unaffected carriers of the RP trait. The X-linked forms of the disease are considered severe, and typically lead to complete blindness during later stages. In rare occasions, a dominant form of the X-linked gene mutation will affect both males and females equally.

Due to the genetic inheritance patterns of RP, many isolate populations exhibit higher disease frequencies or increased prevalence of a specific RP mutation. Pre-existing or emerging mutations that contribute to rod photoreceptor degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa are passed down through familial lines; thus, allowing certain RP cases to be concentrated to specific geographical regions with an ancestral history of the disease. Several hereditary studies have been performed to determine the varying prevalence rates in Maine (USA), Birmingham (England), Switzerland (affects 1/7000), Denmark (affects 1/2500), and Norway. Navajo Indians display an elevated rate of RP inheritance as well, which is estimated as affecting 1 in 1878 individuals. Despite the increased frequency of RP within specific familial lines, the disease is considered non-discriminatory and tends to equally affect all world populations.