FAQs about SMA type 0

Category: SMA type 0

Type 0 is the rarest form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) — only a few dozen cases have been documented, in part because this form of the disease was only first described in the late 1990s. It’s likely that many babies with SMA type 0 die before they get a formal diagnosis of the disease. Consequently, the exact prevalence of SMA type 0 is not known.

Category: SMA type 0

There is no cure for any form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Three disease-modifying treatments that can slow SMA’s progression are currently approved, but there is minimal published data on the use of any of these therapies in babies with type 0 disease. A few reports have shown mild benefits for SMA type 0 babies given disease-modifying treatment, though treated children continued to experience substantial symptoms.

Category: SMA type 0

Babies with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 0 usually have substantial breathing difficulties when they are born. A ventilator can help these patients breathe.

Category: SMA type 0

Babies born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 0 do not survive until adulthood. They have substantial symptoms at birth, and they generally do not survive past the first few months of life.

Category: SMA type 0

Babies born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 0 typically do not live more than a few months.