Everything You Need to Know About Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

WHAT IS SPINAL MUSCULAR ATROPHY?

SMA is a rare genetic neuromuscular disease that affects the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement. To understand this condition letΓÇÖs deconstruct the name: ΓÇ£SpinalΓÇ¥ refers to the loss of motor neurons that are located in the spinal cord.

ΓÇ£MuscularΓÇ¥ refers to SMAΓÇÖs primary effect on muscles, which are not receiving signals from motor neuron cells.

And ΓÇ£Atrophy,ΓÇ¥ the medical term for something thatΓÇÖs diminishing or wasting away ΓÇô which is what happens to muscles when theyΓÇÖre not active. A hallmark of SMA is progressive muscle weakness and atrophy as muscles stop receiving signals from the central nervous system.