The overall incidence of myotubular myopathy is 1 in 50,000 male live births. The incidence of other centronuclear myopathies is extremely rare, with there only being nineteen families identified with CNM throughout the world. The symptoms currently range from the majority who only need to walk with aids, from a stick to a walking frame, to total dependence on physical mobility aids such as wheelchairs and stand aids, but this latter variety is so rare that only two cases are known to the CNM "community".

Approximately 80% of males with a diagnosis of myotubular myopathy by muscle biopsy will have a mutation in MTM1 identifiable by genetic sequence analysis.

Many patients with myotubular myopathy die in infancy prior to receiving a formal diagnosis. When possible, muscle biopsy and genetic testing may still be helpful even after a neonatal death, since the diagnostic information can assist with family planning and genetic counseling as well as aiding in the accurate diagnosis of any relatives who might also have the same genetic abnormality.

The exact mechanisms of these diseases are not well understood. GNE/MNK a key enzyme in the sialic acid biosynthetic pathway, and loss-of-function mutations in GNE/MNK may lead to a lack of sialic acid, which in turn could affect sialoglycoproteins. GNE knockout mice show problems similar to people with IBM and in people with IBM dystroglycan has been found to lack sialic acid. However, the part of the dystroglycan that is important in muscle function does not seem to be affected. Another protein, neural cell adhesion molecule is under-sialyated in people with IBM, but as of 2016 it had no known role in muscle function.

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.

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.

Currently there is no cure for myotubular or centronuclear myopathies. Treatment often focuses on trying to maximize functional abilities and minimize medical complications, and involvement by physicians specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and by physical therapists and occupational therapists.

Medical management generally involves efforts to prevent pulmonary complications, since lung infections can be fatal in patients lacking the muscle strength necessary to clear secretions via coughing. Medical devices to assist with coughing help patients maintain clear airways, avoiding mucous plugs and avoiding the need for tracheostomy tubes.

Monitoring for scoliosis is also important, since weakness of the trunk muscles can lead to deviations in spinal alignment, with resultant compromise of respiratory function. Many patients with congenital myopathies may eventually require surgical treatment of scoliosis.

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.

In northern Scandinavia, the prevalence of myotonia congenita has been estimated at 1:10,000.

Myotonia congenita is estimated to affect 1 in 1,000,000 people worldwide.

The different forms have different mutations and inheritance patterns. See the detailed OMIM descriptions for details (given above).

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.

In terms of the mechanism of congenital muscular dystrophy, one finds that though there are many types of CMD the glycosylation of α-dystroglycan and alterations in those genes that are involved are an important part of this conditions pathophysiology

Myotubular myopathy, also known as centeronuclear myopathy, is recognized by pain during exercise and difficulty walking. People affected by this disease typically are wheel-chair-bound by middle adulthood, have weakness in the muscles involved in eye movement, nerve function disorders, and some form of intellectual disability. Myotubular myopathy is very rare, with less than 50 families currently affected.

Genetically, myotubular myopathy can have two causes: autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive. When caused by a mutation in the DNM2 gene, the disorder is autosomal dominant, meaning it can be passed on by one mutated gene. When the mutation takes place in the BIN1 gene, the disease is instead autosomal recessive, and both genes must be mutated for the disease to be inherited. Autosomal recessive onset is most common.

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a rare form of muscular dystrophy with symptoms generally starting when an individual is 40 to 50 years old. It can be autosomal dominant neuromuscular disease or autosomal recessive. The most common inheritance of OPMD is autosomal dominant, which means only one copy of the mutated gene needs to be present in each cell. Children of an affected parent have a 50% chance of inheriting the mutant gene.

Autosomal dominant inheritance is the most common form of inheritance. Less commonly, OPMD can be inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means that two copies of the mutated gene need to be present in each cell, both parents need to be carriers of the mutated gene, and usually show no signs or symptoms. The PABPN1 mutation contains a GCG trinucleotide repeat at the 5' end of the coding region, and expansion of this repeat which then leads to autosomal dominant oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) disease.

Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy is a condition that mainly affects muscles used for movement, such as skeletal muscles and also affects the cardiac muscle, it is named after Alan Eglin H. Emery and Fritz E. Dreifuss.

Distal muscular dystrophy (or distal myopathy) is a group of disorders characterized by onset in the hands or feet. Many types involve dysferlin, but it has been suggested that not all cases do.

Types include:

DYSF is also associated with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B.

Distal muscular dystrophy is a type of muscular dystrophy that affects the muscles of the extremities, the hands, feet, lower arms, or lower legs. The cause of this dystrophy is very hard to determine because it can be a mutation in any of at least eight genes and not all are known yet. These mutations can be inherited from one parent, autosomal dominant, or from both parents, autosomal recessive. Along with being able to inherit the mutated gene, distal muscular dystrophy has slow progress therefore the patient may not know that they have it until they are in their late 40’s or 50’s. There are eight known types of distal muscular dystrophy. They are Welander’s distal myopathy, Finnish (tibial) distal myopathy, Miyoshi distal myopathy, Nonaka distal myopathy, Gowers–Laing distal myopathy, hereditary inclusion-body myositis type 1, distal myopathy with vocal cord and pharyngeal weakness, and ZASP-related myopathy. All of these affect different regions of the extremities and can show up as early as 5 years of age to as late as 50 years old. Doctors are still trying to determine what causes these mutations along with effective treatments.

Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) or Erb's muscular dystrophy is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare muscular dystrophies. It is characterised by progressive muscle wasting which affects predominantly hip and shoulder muscles. LGMD has an autosomal pattern of inheritance and currently has no known cure.

Bethlem myopathy is an autosomal dominant myopathy, classified as a congenital form of muscular dystrophy, that is caused by a mutation in one of the three genes coding for type VI collagen. These include COL6A1, COL6A2, and COL6A3.

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.

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.

The onset of this disease can begin even before birth but is more commonly in childhood or later into adult life. The progression is slow, with symptoms of weakness and walking difficulties sometimes not presenting until middle age. Early symptoms include Gower's sign ("climbing" up the thighs with the hands when rising from the floor) and tiptoe-walking caused by the beginning of contractures.

Bethlem myopathy affects about 1 in 200,000 people. Contractures of the fingers are a typical symptom of Bethlem myopathy but not of the related Ullrich's myopathy (which does include contractures of arms and legs, as does Bethlem myopathy). Serum creatine kinase is elevated in Bethlem myopathy, as there is ongoing muscle cell death. Patients with Bethlem myopathy may expect a normal life span and continued mobility into adulthood. There is currently no cure for this disorder, but the contractures of the legs can be alleviated with heel-cord surgery followed by bracing and regular physical therapy. Repeated surgeries to lengthen the heel cords may be needed as the child grows to adulthood.

Central core disease or central core myopathy was first described in 1956 and usually presents in infancy or early childhood as non-progressive mild proximal weakness that persists throughout life. Central core disease is believed to be more prevalent than currently reported, as it is hard to recognize and often misdiagnosed in early childhood. Central core disease has been found to be allelic with malignant hyperthermia, which is a life-threatening anesthetic reaction that causes a rise in body temperature, muscular rigidity and muscular breakdown, grossly elevated creatine kinase, and acidosis. Central core disease is caused by a mutation in the RYR1 gene.

Sodium channel myotonias (SCN4A)

- Potassium-aggravated myotonia (acetazolamide responsive myotonia)

- Paramyotonia congenita

- Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis

Dystrophies

- Myotonic dystrophy (myotonic muscular dystrophy: Type 1 and Type 2)

Potassium channel disorders (KCNJ2)

- Andersen-Tawil syndrome

Other disorders

- Thyroid disorders

- Neuromyotonia (Isaacs Syndrome)

- Stiff person syndrome

- Brody myopathy (Brody Disease, Brody's Disease, Brody's Myopathy)

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

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.

The types of Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy are distinguished by their pattern of inheritance: X-linked, autosomal dominant, and autosomal recessive.

- Autosomal dominant "Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy" individuals experience heart problems with weakness (and wasting) of skeletal muscles and Achilles tendon contractures.

- X-linked "Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy" is the result of the EMD gene, with cardiac involvement and some mental retardation.

- Autosomal recessive individuals with this type of the disorder demonstrate cardiac issues, such as arrhythmia. Individuals who acquire EDMD via the autosomal recessive route have an incidence of 1 in 300,000.