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SMA IS

DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE

Every individual with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is affected differently. Age of onset, symptoms, and characteristics of SMA differ from one person to the next.1

SMA in Infants & Children
SMA in Adults

The characters shown are real patients and the required consent to use their stories has been obtained from the patients and families. Photographs are for illustrative purposes only.

WHAT IS SPINAL MUSCULAR ATROPHY (SMA)?

SMA is a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder affecting that part of the nervous system responsible for voluntary muscle movement.2 Watch the video to learn how the disease works.

Learn more about SMA

RED FLAGS

If your child has missed some developmental milestones, there are some ‘red flags’ you can look out for.3-5

Read more

ADULTS WITH SMA

In recent years there has been many improvements in the quality of care and management of SMA in adult patients.6,7

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ZAC’S PLAY DAY

Meet Zac, Ziggy, Oliver, Ping and other fun characters in this children’s story of young Zac and how he lives with SMA.

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NOT A LONELY JOURNEY

A new initiative sharing travel stories from SMA patients to encourage and inspire others to see more of the world around them.

Read more

The characters shown are real patients and the required consent to use their stories has been obtained from the patients and families.
Photographs are for illustrative purposes only.

About Together in SMA

At Biogen, we are committed to supporting those with spinal muscular atrophy and their care team. Our hope for Together in SMA is that, by providing information, we can help you to get the most up-to-date care, and to help guide conversations with your doctors.

Here you'll find information about spinal muscular atrophy and its symptoms, insights into care options, and perspectives from people living with SMA, experienced caregivers and healthcare professionals on topics ranging from nutrition to adaptive equipment.

With Together in SMA, we hope:

To provide meaningful insights into the care of individuals with spinal muscular atrophy.

To help guide conversations with your physician.

To help you understand the current clinical guidelines and available options of care.

To provide meaningful insights into the care of individuals with spinal muscular atrophy.

To help guide conversations with your physician.

To help you understand the current clinical guidelines and available options of care.

The people featured on this website are part of Together in SMA, which is sponsored by Biogen. Biogen compensates these contributors for their time and the content they provide.

Consulting with your doctor will help to develop a care plan that works best for you and your family.

We value the feedback and involvement of the SMA community as our understanding of the disease advances. We’ll be updating this site regularly with insights from healthcare professionals and new content from caregivers like you—because we are always Together in SMA.

References

1. Kolb SJ, Kissel JT. Spinal muscular atrophy. Arch Neurol. 2011;68(8):979-984.

2. Lunn MR, Wang CH. Spinal muscular atrophy. Lancet 2008;371(9630):2120-2133.

3. Prior TW, Russman BS. Spinal muscular atrophy. NCBI Bookshelf Web site. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1352/?report=printable. Updated November 14, 2013. Accessed August 20, 2019.

4. Wang CH, Finkel RS, Bertini ES, et al; and Participants of the International Conference on SMA Standard of Care. Consensus ; statement for standard of care in spinal muscular atrophy. J Child Neurol. 2007;22(8):1027-1049.

5. Markowitz JA, Singh P, Darras BT. Spinal muscular atrophy: a clinical and research update. Pediatr Neurol. 2012;46(1):1-12.

6. Mercuri E, et al. Diagnosis and management of spinal muscular atrophy: Part 1: Recommendations for diagnosis, rehabilitation, orthopedic and nutritional care. Neuromuscul Disord 2018;28(2):103-115.

7. Finkel R, et al. Diagnosis and management of spinal muscular atrophy: Part 2: Pulmonary and acute care; medications, supplements and immunizations; other organ systems; and ethics. Neuromuscul Disord 2018;28(3):197-207.