Whites with muscular dystrophy live up to 12 years longer than their African American counterparts

White women with muscular dystrophy had a median death age of 63, versus 51 for African American women. For white men, their median age at death was 33, versus 23 for African American males. Men tend to die younger, because the vast majority of patients who die have Duchenne muscular dystrophy - a particular type of the disorder that rarely affects females. In addition, cardiomyopathy, which is weakening of the heart muscle or a change in heart muscle structure, was more often reported in black men (20.9%) than white men (11.8%).