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Condition

Pediatric Spinal Muscular Atrophy

What is spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)?

Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic disease that affects the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, resulting in progressive muscle wasting and weakness. It typically begins in infancy or childhood years and affects about 1 in 11,000 babies.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What causes spinal muscular atrophy in children?

What are the symptoms of spinal muscular atrophy in children?

How is spinal muscular atrophy diagnosed in children?

How is spinal muscular atrophy treated in children?

Autosomal Recessive Inheritance

Spinal muscular dystrophy is an autosomal recessive disease. This means that while a patient's family may not have a history of having this condition, each parent may be carrier of the same mutated gene, causing the condition to be present in their child. In this video, Hallie Andrew, M.S., a genetic counselor at Children's National, explains in further detail.

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Movement Disorders Treatment at Children's National Hospital

The Movement Disorders Program at Children’s National offers evaluation, diagnosis and treatment to more than 400 children each year with conditions that affect the speed, quality and ease of their movement. Discover more about the treatments we offer.

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PATIENT STORY

Jared S.'s Story

Providers Who Treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy

    Departments that Treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy

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    Movement Disorders Program

    The Movement Disorders Program at Children's National Hospital offers evaluation, diagnosis and treatment to more than 400 children each year with conditions that affect the speed, quality and ease of their movement.