About Spinal Muscular Atrophy:
- It is a debilitating genetic condition which affects motor neurons that control movement, and leads to progressive muscle weakening.
- Types of SMA: There are five subtypes of SMA - Type 0, 1, 2, 3, 4. Healthcare providers classify them based on the age of onset, as well as the severity and life expectancy.
- Symptoms:
- Its symptoms vary and may be mild or disabling, but involve a weakness of the muscles that control movement. Involuntary muscles are not affected, such as those in the heart, blood vessels and digestive tract.
- The weakness in SMA tends to be more severe in the muscles that are close to the center of the body than in the muscles farther away from the body’s center.
- Causes: The condition is caused by mutations in the survival motor neuron gene (SMN1) which causes a deficiency of a protein crucial for the survival of motor neurons in the spinal cord.
- This prevents muscles from receiving signals from the brain, causing them to waste away.
- Prevalence: About one in every 10,000 births has some form of the condition — making it a leading genetic cause of death in infants and children.
- Treatment:Unfortunately, there isn’t a cure for SMA. Treatment for SMA mainly seeks to manage symptoms and prevent complications.
- Symptom management therapies may include:
- Physical therapy, which can help improve posture, prevent joint immobility and slow muscle weakness.
