Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (FCMD) and Social Security Disability

Social Security Disability Lawyer

Typically, applying for and receiving social security disability benefits can take many months.  But what if your disabling condition is so severe that you cannot wait? Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (FCMD) is a disabling condition on the Compassionate Allowance List, which qualifies an individual for an expedited approval process.

What is FCMD?

FCMD is a congenital disease of the skeletal muscles, brain, and eyes. Caused by a mutated gene containing instructions for creating the protein fukutin, (a protein assisting muscle, brain, and eye development) FCMD presents in early infancy and has devastating effects on physical and intellectual development. Affected individuals suffer severe muscle weakness as well as a brain deformity known as cobblestone lissencephaly, wherein the cortex develops a cobblestone-­‐like consistency and results in developmental and intellectual impairment. Most children diagnosed with FCMD never gain the ability to stand or walk. As affected individuals age, they often develop progressively worsening heart defects. Individuals diagnosed with FCMD face considerably decreased lifespans. There is no cure for FCMD.

FCMD Symptoms

Some of the symptoms of FCMD include:

• Poor muscle tone
• Muscle weakness
• Weak cry
• Poor feeding
• Weak facial muscles (droopy eyelids, open mouth)
• Developmental and intellectual impairment
• Poor motor skills
• Seizures
• Joint defects
• Heart defects

If you or a loved one is experiencing these symptoms, it is important to talk with a doctor immediately.