AANEM is proud to help increase understanding about spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) during SMA Awareness Month! Below we’ve provided links to resources to help increase your knowledge of this disease.
What is SMA?
SMA is a disorder that causes weakness and wasting of muscles. The condition may be acquired or hereditary. The hereditary SMA syndromes are genetic diseases that cause motor neurons in the spinal cord to degenerate and die, causing the muscle weakness. There are several types of hereditary SMA, based on the severity of the disease and when the disease developed. The most severe type (Werdnig-Hoffman disease) presents in infancy; these infants cannot walk and many die of respiratory failure before their second birthday. Kugelberg-Welander disease presents after the age of two and has a variable course. Hereditary SMA rarely begins in adulthood. Disease presents with muscular weakness in lower more than upper extremities. Progressive respiratory insufficiency may happen due to weakness of respiratory muscles. Read more
SMA Session at the 2018 AANEM Annual Meeting
The 2018 AANEM Annual Meeting
is featuring a session on SMA on Friday, October 12, 2018, from 1:30-3:00 pm Eastern titled, “SMA Practical Issues.”
If you are a neurologist, physiatrist, technologist, researcher, or collaborator, and would like to attend the 2018 AANEM Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, October 10-13, 2018, register today
Recent SMA News and Developments
Recent SMA Article Summaries from the AANEM News Science Editorial Board
Make a Donation
During August, as we recognize SMA Awareness Month, consider making a donation to the AANEM Foundation
. Your donation will fund scientific research to help find treatments and cures for neuromuscular diseases, like SMA. Donate today