Muscle strength and motor function throughout life in a cross‐sectional cohort of 180 patients with spinal muscular atrophy types 1c–4

作者：Renske I. Wadman, Camiel A. Wijngaarde, Marloes Stam, Bart Bartels, Louise A. M. Otto, Henny H. Lemmink, Marja A G C Schoenmakers, Inge Cuppen, L. H. van den Berg, W. Ludo van der Pol · 发表于：European Journal of Neurology · 年份：2017 · DOI：10.1111/ene.13534 · 被引用次数：231 · 研究领域：Neurogenetic and Muscular Disorders Research、Cardiomyopathy and Myosin Studies、Spinal Dysraphism and Malformations

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Natural history studies in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have primarily focused on infants and children. Natural history studies encompassing all age groups and SMA types are important for the interpretation of treatment effects of recently introduced survival motor neuron gene-augmenting therapies. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate muscle strength, Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale (Expanded) score and the patterns of muscle weakness in relation to age and SMA type. RESULTS: We included 180 patients with SMA types 1-4 in the age range 1-77.5 years with median disease duration of 18 (range 0-65.8) years. With the exception of the early phases of disease in which children with SMA types 2 and 3 may achieve new motor skills and show a temporary increase in muscle strength, cross-sectional data suggested that declining muscle strength and loss of motor skills over time are characteristic of all SMA types. Mean loss of strength was at least 1 point on the Medical Research Council score and 0.5 point on the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale (Expanded) score per year. Trend lines compatible with deterioration of motor function and muscle strength started in childhood and continued into adulthood. The age at loss of specific motor skills was associated with disease severity. Triceps, deltoid, iliopsoas and quadriceps were the weakest muscles in all patients. Hierarchical cluster analysis did not show a segmental distribution of mu...