Spinal Muscular Atrophy Program

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic condition in which the muscles throughout the body are weakened because the cells in the spinal cord and motor nerves do not work properly. Approximately 10-16 people out of every 100,000 children are born with this condition.

The severity of this condition varies greatly between individuals, so the diagnosis of SMA is broken up into three main groups. These are referred to as SMA type I, SMA type II, and SMA type III. The type of SMA a child has is determined by the highest motor function the child achieves.

While these three types are all considered to be part of the same  disease with one genetic cause, there is great variability in the severity of the condition and the challenges an individual with SMA faces.