Objective: To report the long-term progression in a cohort of patients with type II spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) assessed with the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale-Expanded.
Methods: Seventy-three patients (age 2.6-25 years) were included in the study. Twenty-eight of the 73 were first assessed before the age of 5 years and had been followed up for ≈5 years or longer. We observed an overall progression that was not linear. A piecewise regression analysis showed an improvement of scores in the younger patients with a point of slope change at ≈5 years of age, a decline between 5 and 13 years of age, and stability/slower decline after that.
Results: Patients with the lowest scores at baseline had the earliest onset of scoliosis and a higher need for noninvasive ventilation compared to those with higher scores. Our results confirm that on the long-term follow-up all patients with type II SMA show a clear and progressive decline.
Conclusion: The severity of functional impairment at baseline can help to predict the magnitude of changes over time and the overall progression, including onset of scoliosis and need for noninvasive ventilation.
© 2019 American Academy of Neurology.