Abstract

Spinal muscular atrophy is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by degeneration of motor neurons in the spinal cord and is caused by mutations of the survival of motor neuron 1 gene SMN1. The severity of spinal muscular atrophy is highly variable and no cure is available at present. Consensus has been reached on several aspects of care, the availability of which can have a substantial effect on prognosis, but controversies remain. The development of standards of care for children with the disorder and the identification of promising treatment strategies have changed the natural history of spinal muscular atrophy, and the prospects are good for further improvements in function, quality of life, and survival. A long-term benefit for patients will be the development of effective interventions (such as antisense oligonucleotides), some of which are in clinical trials. The need to be prepared for clinical trials has been the impetus for a remarkable and unprecedented cooperation between clinicians, scientists, industry, government, and volunteer organisations on an international scale.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Mercuri E, Bertini E, Iannaccone ST

Institution

Pediatric Neurology Unit, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.

Source

Lancet neurology 11:5 2012 May pg 443-52

MeSH

Child
Chromosome Deletion
Clinical Trials as Topic
Combined Modality Therapy
Cooperative Behavior
DNA Mutational Analysis
Exons
Humans
Interdisciplinary Communication
Neurologic Examination
Patient Care Team
Spinal Muscular Atrophies of Childhood
Standard of Care
Survival of Motor Neuron 1 Protein

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Review

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22516079