Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is characterized by muscle weakness and atrophy resulting from progressive degeneration and irreversible loss of the anterior horn cells in the spinal cord (i.e., lower motor neurons) and the brain stem nuclei. The onset of weakness ranges from before birth to adulthood. The weakness is symmetric, proximal > distal, and progressive. Before the genetic basis of SMA was understood, it was classified into clinical subtypes based on maximum motor function achieved; however, it is now apparent that the phenotype of SMN1-associated SMA spans a continuum without clear delineation of subtypes. With supportive care only, poor weight gain with growth failure, restrictive lung disease, scoliosis, and joint contractures are common complications; however, newly available targeted treatment options are changing the natural history of this disease.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a hereditary neuromuscular disorder characterized by degeneration of spinal cord motor neurons resulting in muscle weakness. SMALED shows autosomal dominant inheritance with muscle weakness predominantly affecting the proximal lower extremities (Harms et al., 2010). The most common form of SMA (see, e.g., SMA1, 253300) shows autosomal recessive inheritance and is due to mutation in the SMN1 gene (600354) on chromosome 5q. Genetic Heterogeneity of Lower Extremity-Predominant Spinal Muscular Atrophy See also SMALED2A (615290) and SMALED2B (618291), both of which are caused by mutation in the BICD2 gene (609797) on chromosome 9q22. SMALED2A and SMALED2B differ in age at onset and severity, with SMALED2B being more severe.

X-linked myopathy with excessive autophagy (XMEA) is an X-linked recessive skeletal muscle disorder characterized by childhood onset of progressive muscle weakness and atrophy primarily affecting the proximal muscles. While onset is usually in childhood, it can range from infancy to adulthood. Many patients lose ambulation and become wheelchair-bound. Other organ systems, including the heart, are clinically unaffected. Muscle biopsy shows intracytoplasmic autophagic vacuoles with sarcolemmal features and a multilayered basal membrane (summary by Ramachandran et al., 2013; Kurashige et al., 2013, and Ruggieri et al., 2015). Danon disease (300257), caused by mutation in the LAMP2 gene (309060) on chromosome Xq24, is a distinct disorder with similar pathologic features.

A mild subtype of autosomal recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy characterized by a variable onset (ranging from infancy to adolescence) of progressive proximal upper and lower limb muscle weakness and atrophy. Mild scapular winging, calf hypertrophy, and lack of respiratory and cardiac involvement are also observed.

Inclusion body myopathy associated with Paget disease of bone (PDB) and/or frontotemporal dementia (IBMPFD) is characterized by adult-onset proximal and distal muscle weakness (clinically resembling a limb-girdle muscular dystrophy syndrome), early-onset PDB, and premature frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Muscle weakness progresses to involve other limb and respiratory muscles. PDB involves focal areas of increased bone turnover that typically lead to spine and/or hip pain and localized enlargement and deformity of the long bones; pathologic fractures occur on occasion. Early stages of FTD are characterized by dysnomia, dyscalculia, comprehension deficits, and paraphasic errors, with minimal impairment of episodic memory; later stages are characterized by inability to speak, auditory comprehension deficits for even one-step commands, alexia, and agraphia. Mean age at diagnosis for muscle disease and PDB is 42 years; for FTD, 56 years. Dilated cardiomyopathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson disease are now known to be part of the spectrum of findings associated with IBMPFD.

CHCHD10-related disorders are characterized by a spectrum of adult-onset neurologic phenotypes that can include: Mitochondrial myopathy (may also be early onset): weakness, amyotrophy, exercise intolerance. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): progressive degeneration of upper motor neurons and lower motor neurons. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD): slowly progressive behavioral changes, language disturbances, cognitive decline, extrapyramidal signs. Late-onset spinal motor neuronopathy (SMA, Jokela type): weakness, cramps, and/or fasciculations; areflexia. Axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy: slowly progressive lower-leg muscle weakness and atrophy, small hand muscle weakness, loss of tendon reflexes, sensory abnormalities. Cerebellar ataxia: gait ataxia, kinetic ataxia (progressive loss of coordination of lower- and upper-limb movements), dysarthria/dysphagia, nystagmus, cerebellar oculomotor disorder. Because of the recent discovery of CHCHD10-related disorders and the limited number of affected individuals reported to date, the natural history of these disorders (except for SMAJ caused by the p.Gly66Val pathogenic variant) is largely unknown.

Autosomal recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy-21 (LGMDR21) is characterized by progressive limb-girdle weakness with age of onset ranging from congenital to adult. Muscle imaging shows a specific and selective pattern of fatty muscle degeneration (summary by Servian-Morilla et al., 2020). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of autosomal recessive LGMD, see LGMDR1 (253600).

SMALED2A is an autosomal dominant form of spinal muscular atrophy characterized by early childhood onset of muscle weakness and atrophy predominantly affecting the proximal and distal muscles of the lower extremity, although some patients may show upper extremity involvement. The disorder results in delayed walking, waddling gait, difficulty walking, and loss of distal reflexes. Some patients may have foot deformities or hyperlordosis, and some show mild upper motor signs, such as spasticity. Sensation, bulbar function, and cognitive function are preserved. The disorder shows very slow progression throughout life (summary by Oates et al., 2013). For discussion of genetic heterogeneity of lower extremity-predominant spinal muscular atrophy, see SMALED1 (158600).

The clinical manifestations of LAMA2 muscular dystrophy (LAMA2-MD) comprise a continuous spectrum ranging from severe congenital muscular dystrophy type 1A (MDC1A) to milder late-onset LAMA2-MD. MDC1A is typically characterized by neonatal profound hypotonia, poor spontaneous movements, and respiratory failure. Failure to thrive, gastroesophageal reflux, aspiration, and recurrent chest infections necessitating frequent hospitalizations are common. As disease progresses, facial muscle weakness, temporomandibular joint contractures, and macroglossia may further impair feeding and can affect speech. In late-onset LAMA2-MD onset of manifestations range from early childhood to adulthood. Affected individuals may show muscle hypertrophy and develop a rigid spine syndrome with joint contractures, usually most prominent in the elbows. Progressive respiratory insufficiency, scoliosis, and cardiomyopathy can occur.

Autosomal recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy-26 (LGMDR26) is a muscle disorder characterized by adult-onset weakness primarily affecting the proximal muscles of the lower limbs. The disorder is slowly progressive, with later involvement of the upper limbs and fatty replacement of muscle tissue apparent on MRI. Some patients may have calf hypertrophy. Serum creatine kinase is significantly elevated, and skeletal muscle biopsy shows typical dystrophic features with normal ultrastructural findings. There is no cardiac or respiratory involvement (summary by Vissing et al., 2019). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of autosomal recessive limb- girdle muscular dystrophy, see LGMDR1 (253600).

Sorbitol dehydrogenase deficiency with peripheral neuropathy (SORDD) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by onset of distal muscle weakness mainly affecting the lower limbs and resulting in difficulty walking. Onset of symptoms is usually in the first or second decades of life, although later adult onset has been reported; the disorder is slowly progressive. Nerve conduction velocities are most consistent with an axonal process. More variable features include distal sensory impairment, upper limb tremor, and scoliosis. Laboratory studies show increased serum sorbitol (summary by Cortese et al., 2020).

Frontotemporal dementia and/or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-6 (FTDALS6) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder with highly variable manifestations. Some patients present in adulthood with progressive FTD, often classified as the 'behavioral variant,' which is characterized by reduced empathy, impulsive behavior, personality changes, and reduced verbal output. Other patients present with features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by upper and lower motor neuron dysfunction resulting in rapidly progressive paralysis and death from respiratory failure. The pathologic hallmarks of this disease include pallor of the corticospinal tract due to loss of motor neurons (in ALS). In both ALS and FTD, there are ubiquitin-positive inclusions within surviving neurons as well as deposition of pathologic TDP43 (TARDBP; 605078) or p62 (SQSTM1; 601530) aggregates. Patients with a D395G mutation (601023.0014) have been shown to develop pathologic tau (MAPT; 157140) aggregates. Some patients with the disorder may have features of both diseases, and there is significant interfamilial and intrafamilial phenotypic variability (summary by Johnson et al., 2010; Wong et al., 2018; Al-Obeidi et al., 2018; Darwich et al., 2020). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of FTDALS, see FTDALS1 (105550).

Hereditary motor neuropathy with myopathic features (HMNMYO) is an autosomal recessive disorder with both myopathic and neurogenic features. Affected individuals usually present in the first decade with lower leg weakness resulting in difficulty climbing stairs and problems standing on the heels. Some patients have later onset well into the adult years. Most patients have foot deformities, and some may have leg muscle atrophy. The disorder is slowly progressive and often involves the upper limbs. Muscle biopsy and electrophysiologic studies are consistent with both a myopathic process and an axonal motor neuropathy. Sensory abnormalities are not typically present, and patients remain ambulatory. The phenotype shows some phenotypic overlap with distal hereditary motor neuropathy (see, e.g., 182960), but is distinguished by the presence of myopathic features (summary by Deschauer et al., 2021 and Pagnamenta et al., 2021).

Autosomal recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy-27 (LGMDR27) is characterized by progressive muscle weakness primarily affecting the lower limbs and resulting in walking difficulty or loss of ambulation. The age at onset is highly variable, from infancy to young adulthood. Patients with infantile onset may have a more severe disease course with rapid progression. Upper limb involvement and distal muscle weakness may also occur. Additional more variable features include neck muscle weakness, scoliosis, and joint contractures. Less common features include impaired intellectual development or speech delay, cardiomyopathy, and cardiac arrhythmia. Muscle biopsy shows nonspecific dystrophic changes (Coppens et al., 2021). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of autosomal recessive limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, see LGMDR1 (253600).

X-linked adult-onset distal myopathy-7 (MPD7) is an X-linked recessive disorder that affects only males. It is characterized by onset of distal muscle weakness predominantly affecting the lower limbs between 20 and 60 years of age. The disorder is slowly progressive, with most affected individuals developing distal upper limb involvement and some developing proximal muscle involvement, although patients remain ambulatory. Muscle biopsy shows variable myopathic changes as well as sarcoplasmic inclusions that may represent abnormally aggregated proteins (summary by Johari et al., 2021).

Inclusion body myopathy and brain white matter abnormalities (IBMWMA) is an autosomal dominant adult-onset disorder characterized predominantly by proximal limb girdle muscle weakness affecting the lower and upper limbs and resulting in gait difficulties and scapular winging. Additional features may include dysarthria, dysphagia, low back pain, and hyporeflexia. EMG is consistent with a myopathic process, although neuropathic findings have also been shown. Muscle biopsy shows fiber type variation, internal nuclei, rimmed vacuoles, and cytoplasmic protein aggregates or inclusions. Serum creatine kinase is usually elevated. Cognitive impairment or frontotemporal dementia occurs in some patients. The disorder is slowly progressive; some patients become wheelchair-bound after many years. Rare patients with this mutation develop ALS; some have both myopathy and ALS. Brain imaging shows white matter abnormalities using diffusion tensor imaging. The disorder is classified as multisystem proteinopathy-6 (MSP6) due to the characteristic disease mechanism of protein misfolding and abnormal tissue deposition (summary by Leoni et al., 2021).