Spinal Muscular Atrophy CHRISTIAN SIMS

Symptoms infants with SMA type I are born with very little muscle tone, weak muscles, and feeding and breathing problems. Often, weakness is first felt in the shoulder and leg muscles. Weakness gets worse over time and eventually becomes severe. Breathing difficulty, leading to a lack of oxygen Lack of head control Not able to move well Bad posture.

Prevalence Most of the time, a person must get the defective gene from both parents to be affected. About 4 out of every 100,000 people have the condition. Usually is born with this disorder This disorder is genetic This disorder effects males or females A child who inherits only one abnormal gene copy is a carrier, and is not a risk to develop symptoms. A child of two carriers has a ¼ chance of developing One in every 6,000 babies is born with SMA

Cause? A family history of spinal muscular atrophy is a risk factor for all types of the disorder. Spinal muscular atrophy is a collection of different muscle diseases. Grouped together, it is the second leading cause of neuromuscular disease Rarely SMA may begin in adulthood. This is usually a milder form of the disease. You cant not stop this disorder but you can just hope that the gene is not past down to you.

Treatment for the disorder. No specific pharmaceutical therapies which have been confirmed which can either extend lifespan or increase strength in SMA subjects Physical therapy is important to prevent contractions of muscles and tendons and abnormal curvature of the spine Bracing may be needed

Interesting facts One in every 6,000 babies is born with SMA SMA can strike anyone of any age, race or gender. One in every 40 people carries the gene that causes SMA. The child of two carriers has a one infour chance of developing SMA. 7.5 million Americans are carriers.

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Sources http://www.fsma.org/FSMACommunity/understandingsma/quickfacts/ http://www.smafund.org/facts.html http://littleflowerviolet.com/what-is-sma/spinal-muscular-atrophy-sma-the-cold-hard-facts/