About SMARD1 Patient Registry

  

Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 (SMARD1) is a critical disorder that typically manifests during infancy. SMARD1, usually inherited,is a disease state derived from genetic mutation/defect(s) in the IGHMBP2 gene. Muscular weakness (atrophy) and inability to breathe are the marked signs of this condition. Affected individuals with SMARD1 will typically experience a spontaneous respiratory emergency between the ages of six weeks and six months resulting in paralysis of the diaphragm which prevents the lungs from adequately expanding during inhalation. Clinical characteristics of SMARD1 also include difficult/noisy breathing (primarily during inhalation), feeding problems, a weak cry, recurrent bouts of pneumonia, low-level muscular ability, curved spine, excessive sweating, irregular heartbeat, and loss of bowel regulation. SMARD1 is an autosomal recessive disorder, meaning that the biological parents of the affected individual each carry one copy of the mutated IGHMBP2 gene (but do not usually present symptomatically). All offspring of a mother and father who each carry a defective, recessive IGHMBP2 gene have a 25% chance of inheriting SMARD1.

SMARD1 - a unique derivative of spinal muscular atrophy type 1 - was first reported in 1974. The primary difference between SMARD1 and spinal muscular atrophy type 1 is the addition of early onset respiratory distress/failure. SMARD1 is extremely rare and infrequently diagnosed, with at least 60 cases documented in the existing body of medical literature.


References

University of Missouri-Columbia. (2016, May 5). Gene replacement therapy offers viable treatment option for fatal disease. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 8, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160505140913.htm

Read more about SMARD1 here

Read about SMA here