Patient's question:
There is an elderly person at home. The last time I took him for a physical examination, the report said he has spinal muscular atrophy. Actually, what is spinal muscular atrophy? Is it because of aging and the depletion of collagen that causes it? Is this normal? If it's not normal, what should I do?Doctor's answer:
If the diagnosis is for spinal muscular atrophy, then this is a motor neuron disease, mostly related to intergenerational heredity, because these patients have some cases where the disease progresses slowly in late childhood, with little change in symptoms, and may again exhibit manifestations such as generalized muscle weakness, reduced muscle tone, and absent tendon reflexes. Generally, physical therapy is required for treatment.