Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA): Symptoms and Diagnosis
Monday, December 22nd, 2008 1,112 viewsAs a follow up to my previous article “Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA): Introduction“, I am posting here the symptoms of the disease as well as its diagnosis.
Infantile SMA is the most severe form. Some of the symptoms include:
- muscle weakness
- poor muscle tone
- weak cry
- limpness or a tendency to flop
- difficulty sucking or swallowing
- accumulation of secretions in the lungs or throat
- legs that tend to be weaker than the arms
- hypotonia, areflexia, and multiple congenital contractures (arthrogryposis) associated with loss of anterior horn cells
- feeding difficulties
- increased susceptibility to respiratory tract infections
- developmental milestones, such as lifting the head or sitting up, can’t be reached.
