myotonic dystrophy

nounA chronic, slowly progressing, inherited multisystemic disease, characterized by muscular dystrophy, cataracts, heart conduction defects, endocrine changes, and myotonia.

nouna severe form of muscular dystrophy marked by generalized weakness and muscular wasting that affects the face and feet and hands and neck; difficult speech and difficulty with the hands that spreads to the arms and shoulders and legs and hips; the onset can be any time from birth to middle age and the progression is slow; inheritance is autosomal dominant