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Aim To determine factors associated with acquisition of a sitting position in patients with spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1) treated with nusinersen. Method Using data from the registry of patients with SMA1 treated with nusinersen, we compared the subgroups of sitters and non‐sitters after 14 months of therapy as a function of baseline level, SMN2 copy number, age at treatment initiation, and improvement at 2 and 6 months post‐treatment initiation. We used Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination, Section 2 (HINE‐2) and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Infant Test of Neuromuscular Disorders for motor evaluation. Results Fifty children (22 females, 28 males), mean age 22 months (SD 20.7; range 2.5–102.8mo) were treated. Data on sitting position acquisition were collected for 47 patients at month 14. Fifteen patients were able to sit unassisted; 11 of 15 had a baseline HINE‐2 score of at least 2 points and 11 of 14 had an improvement over baseline of at least 2 points at month 6. Patients who improved by 2 or more points at month 6 were three times more likely to be sitters at month 14 than those who did not. Interpretation High baseline motor function and improvement in HINE‐2 score after 6 months of treatment are associated with the probability of acquiring a sitting position in patients with SMA1 treated with nusinersen. What this paper adds Fifteen of 47 patients with spinal muscular atrophy could sit unaided 14 months after treatment with nusinersen. The number of SMN2 copies were not predictive of acquisition of a sitting position. Baseline condition and clinical response after 6 months of treatment were most predictive of sitting position acquisition.

Aim of the study. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of nusinersen therapy in Polish children with SMA type 1.Clinical rationale of study. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disorder that is characterised by the loss of motor neurons, progressive muscle weakness and atrophy, leading to increased disability and mortality. Nusinersen, an antisense oligonucleotide that promotes production of the functional survival motor neuron protein is approved for the treatment of SMA 5q in the European Union. In 2017, an early access programme (EAP) for nusinersen was launched in Poland. In this study, we present the results of nusinersen treatment in Polish patients participating in the EAP. Materials and methods.We collected prospectively clinical data including mutational analysis of SMN1 and SMN2 genes, motor function outcomes as measured on a standardized scales, ventilatory and nutritional status, on SMA type 1 patients receiving nusinersen in three EAP centres in Poland. Scores on the CHOP-INTEND scale after 18-26 months of treatment were compared to baseline. Results. We analysed data from 26 patients with SMA type 1, mean age 4.79 (2-15) years. The mutational analysis revealed two SMN2 gene copies in the majority of patients (61.54%). Three and four copies were found in 34.62% and 3.84%, respectively. Median disease duration was 21 months. Half (n = 13) of the patients required mechanical ventilation at baseline and 57.69% (n = 15) were fed by nasogastric tube or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. No patient worsened during the follow-up. Mean improvement in CHOP-INTEND from baseline to the last follow-up was 7.38 points (p < 0.001). CHOP-INTEND scores did not decline for any patient. Patients with three or more SMN2 gene copies had higher scores than did the patients with two copies (p = 0.013), and they tended to show greater improvement over time, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.324). Shorter disease duration and higher CHOP-INTEND baseline score were associated with a better response (p = 0.015). Patients with a CHOP-INTEND score above the median had higher scores overall than the rest (p < 0.0013), and they improved significantly more than the rest (p = 0.037). Nusinersen was well tolerated, no new safety findings were identified.Conclusions and clinical implications. Our data indicates that nusinersen treatment might be effective in SMA type 1 patients, regardless of their age and functional status.

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Nusinersen jest oligonukleotydem antysensownym wpływającym na alternatywny splicing genu SMN2, który wpływa na produkcję pełnowartościowego białka przeżycia neuronów ruchowych. W roku 2016 lek został zarejestrowany w leczeniu rdzeniowego zaniku mięśni (SMA) 5q w Stanach Zjednoczonych a w roku 2017 na obszarze Unii Europejskiej. Rdzeniowy zanik mięśni jest jedną z wiodących, genetycznych chorób będących przyczyną śmierci niemowląt. Choroba związana z dziedziczeniem autosomalnym recesywnym cechuje zapadalność na poziomie 10,3-13,5 przypadków na 100 000 żywych urodzeń. Do momentu rejestracji a później refundacji wąską grupę, 30 pacjentów leczono w Polsce, w ramach programu rozszerzonego dostępu do leku. Refundacja nusinersenu weszła w życie od 1. stycznia 2019 roku zapewniając pacjentom z SMA szeroki dostęp do leczenia, z możliwością włączenia pacjentów przedobjawowych i każdego typu SMA niezależnie od wieku i stanu funkcjonalnego. Kryteria leczenia pacjentów z SMA są ujęte w programie lekowym "Leczenie Rdzeniowego Zaniku Mięśni (B.102)", na podstawie Obwieszczenia Ministra Zdrowia z dnia 27 grudnia 2018 r. Aktualnie w programie lekowym, na dzień 31 sierpnia 2019 jest leczonych 280 pacjentów.

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Introduction The co-occurrence of headache and epilepsy is well-documented in the adult population. The aim of the prospective study was to analyse in the paediatric population the correlations between the types of peri-ictal headaches and types of seizures. Furthermore, an attempt was made to find trends in characteristic features of peri-ictal headaches. Material: A total of 57 children with peri-ictal headache were enrolled in the study. The participants’ guardians were asked to keep a diary of the seizure and peri-ictal headache episodes during a 180-day period. During follow-up visits, systematic history regarding peri-ictal headaches was taken. Results A total of 913 seizure and 325 peri-ictal headache episodes were noted during the study. Post-ictal headaches were most common, occurring in < 1 h after the seizure, lasting minutes to hours and more likely to occur after generalised seizures, whereas pre-ictal headaches occurred 30–240 min before the seizure. In the analysed group, peri-ictal headaches were most often moderate in intensity. Only 30% of patients took analgesic medication, usually to treat post-ictal headaches. Conclusion Peri-ictal headaches are a significant health problem for patients with epilepsy. The most common type are post-ictal headaches, and they are most likely to appear after a generalised seizure.