My first topic on Spinal muscular atrophy affects 1 in 6,000 to 1 in 10,000 people. In 1898, described for the first time the classic infantile form of SMA. In this essay I will be discussing spinal muscular atrophy and its characteristics. I will discuss signs and symptoms as well as some treatments for the disorder. Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic disorder that affects the control of muscle movement. It is caused by a loss of specialized nerve cells, called motor neurons, in the spinal cord and the part of the brain that is connected to the spinal cord. The loss of motor neurons leads to weakness and wasting (atrophy) of muscles used for activities such as crawling and walking. It is a hereditary disease that causes weakness to the muscles of the arms and legs of infants and children.
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Type 1 (also known as Werdnig-Hoffman disease) is observable in infancy within a few months. Type 2 usually begins in 6-8 months of age. Type 3 (another version of Werdnig-Hoffman disease) appears within the ages of two and seventeen. There is no current cure for spinal muscular atrophy. Infants who die of SMA usually die of respiration failure due to the weakness of muscles that help with breathing. The current treatment for SMA involves prevention and management of the secondary effects of muscles weakness and loss. Today, much can be done in terms of medicine. Some of the drugs that are currently being investigated include: Butyrates, Valproic Acid, Hydroxyurea, and Riluzole. In cases of gene therapy, replacing the altered gene with a normal version is being tested on animals. It is said that it will take many more years of research on animals before any of these is attempted on humans. Some of the diagnostic tests include: blood tests, x-rays, MRIs, CT
Type 1 (also known as Werdnig-Hoffman disease) is observable in infancy within a few months. Type 2 usually begins in 6-8 months of age. Type 3 (another version of Werdnig-Hoffman disease) appears within the ages of two and seventeen. There is no current cure for spinal muscular atrophy. Infants who die of SMA usually die of respiration failure due to the weakness of muscles that help with breathing. The current treatment for SMA involves prevention and management of the secondary effects of muscles weakness and loss. Today, much can be done in terms of medicine. Some of the drugs that are currently being investigated include: Butyrates, Valproic Acid, Hydroxyurea, and Riluzole. In cases of gene therapy, replacing the altered gene with a normal version is being tested on animals. It is said that it will take many more years of research on animals before any of these is attempted on humans. Some of the diagnostic tests include: blood tests, x-rays, MRIs, CT