Abstract:

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a common fatal and disabling neuromuscular disease in infants and young children, caused by the degeneration of spinal anterior horn motor neurons, leading to progressive muscle weakness and atrophy in the limbs. In recent years, the emergence and application of disease-modifying therapies are gradually changing the natural history of SMA. However, the efficacy of these therapies is closely related to factors such as the age at treatment initiation and the pre-treatment disease course. Pre-symptomatic treatment is more promising to enable the affected children to survive and achieve near-normal motor milestones. This consensus was developed by experts from relevant fields, focusing on the following themes: pre-symptomatic SMA diagnosis, treatment decision-making, follow-up management, and key points for parental communication, with the aim of providing standards and guidance for clinical practices of pre-symptomatic treatment of pediatric SMA.

Key words: spinal muscular atrophy, survival motor neuron 1, survival motor neuron 2, pre-symptomatic treatment, newborn screening