Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a severe neuromuscular disorder due to a defect in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. Its incidence is approximately 1 in 11,000 live births. In 2007, an International Conference on the Standard of Care for SMA published a consensus statement on SMA standard of care that has been widely used throughout the world. Here we report a two-part update of the topics covered in the previous recommendations. In part 1 we present the methods used to achieve these recommendations, and an update on diagnosis, rehabilitation, orthopedic and spinal management; and nutritional, swallowing and gastrointestinal management. Pulmonary management, acute care, other organ involvement, ethical issues, medications, and the impact of new treatments for SMA are discussed in part 2.

This is the second half of a two-part document updating the standard of care recommendations for spinal muscular atrophy published in 2007. This part includes updated recommendations on pulmonary management and acute care issues, and topics that have emerged in the last few years such as other organ involvement in the severe forms of spinal muscular atrophy and the role of medications. Ethical issues and the choice of palliative versus supportive care are also addressed. These recommendations are becoming increasingly relevant given recent clinical trials and the prospect that commercially available therapies will likely change the survival and natural history of this disease.

Objective:Nemaline myopathy (NM) is a rare neuromuscular condition with clinical and genetic heterogeneity. To establish disease natural history, we performed a cross-sectional study of NM, complemented by longitudinal assessment and exploration of pilot outcome measures.Methods:Fifty-seven individuals with NM were recruited at two family workshops, including 16 examined at both time points. Subjects were evaluated by clinical history and physical examination. Functional outcome measures included the Motor Function Measure (MFM), pulmonary function tests (PFTs), myometry, goniometry, and bulbar assessments.Results:The most common clinical classification was “typical congenital” (54%), whereas 42% had more severe presentations. 58% of individuals needed mechanical support, with 26% requiring wheelchair, tracheostomy, and feeding tube. The MFM scale was performed in 44/57 participants and showed reduced scores in most with little floor/ceiling effect. Of the 27 individuals completing PFTs, abnormal values were observed in 65%. Lastly, bulbar function was abnormal in all patients examined, as determined using a novel outcome measure. Genotypes included mutations in ACTA1 (18), NEB (20), and TPM2 (2). Seventeen individuals were genetically unresolved. Patients with pathogenic ACTA1 and NEB variants were largely similar in clinical phenotype. Patients without genetic resolution had more severe disease.Conclusion:In all, we present a comprehensive cross-sectional study of NM. Our data identify significant disabilities and support a relatively stable disease course. We identify a need for further diagnostic investigation for the genetically unresolved group. Lastly, MFM, pulmonary function tests, and the slurp test were identified as promising outcome measures for future clinical trials.