Duchenne-Aran disease /do̅o̅shen″äräN′/ [Guillaume B.A. Duchenne, French neurologist, 1806–1875; François A. Aran, French physician, 1817–1861] , muscular atrophy caused by degeneration of the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord, primarily affecting the upper extremities. Chronic muscle wasting and weakness first appear in the hands and advance progressively to the arms and shoulders, eventually affecting the legs and other body areas. Several conditions may lead to this disease, such as the injection of toxins.
