Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsPrognosisCausesDiagnosisTreatmentCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Prognosis
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Coping
Progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) is a rare disease that affects lower motorneurons, brain cells that provide muscles and glands with the nerves needed to function correctly.
People with this disease experience wasting and loss of muscle mass. The condition eventually leads to loss of voluntary muscle control.
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Progressive Muscular Atrophy Symptoms
Symptoms that can occur in someone with PMA include:
What Is Muscle Wasting?Muscle wasting occurs when lack of use or disease causes the shrinking, weakening, and loss of muscle.
What Is Muscle Wasting?
Muscle wasting occurs when lack of use or disease causes the shrinking, weakening, and loss of muscle.
PMA is fatal, however, the length of time a person will live with the disease differs. That said, life expectancy averages five to 10 years.
What Does Survival Rate Mean?The one-, three-, five-, and nine-year survival rates refer to the percentage of people still alive during that time frame when participating in a treatment or study.
What Does Survival Rate Mean?
The one-, three-, five-, and nine-year survival rates refer to the percentage of people still alive during that time frame when participating in a treatment or study.
Medical researchers aren’t clear on what causes PMA. It is considered a sporadic disease, meaning it suddenly occurs and isn’t predictable. That said, theories suggest thatgeneticsand environmental factors play a role in its development.
PMA and ALSALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)can cause some of the same symptoms found in PMA. It has been suggested that PMA may be a variation of ALS. However, research shows that not everyone with the motor neuron disease has ALS. One study found that as many as 84.6% of people with PMA also had clinical signs of ALS, but the remaining 15.4% did not.
PMA and ALS
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)can cause some of the same symptoms found in PMA. It has been suggested that PMA may be a variation of ALS. However, research shows that not everyone with the motor neuron disease has ALS. One study found that as many as 84.6% of people with PMA also had clinical signs of ALS, but the remaining 15.4% did not.
No single test can diagnose a person with PMA. Because symptoms are similar to those of other motor neuron diseases,
PMA is diagnosed through a process of elimination. Other conditions that are ruled out before reaching a PMA diagnosis include:
These tests are designed to gain a deeper understanding of what is happening in the body, specifically the nerves.
In some cases, people may have to go through other tests, such asmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI)or blood tests if medical providers suspect another disease is to blame for the symptoms.
Misdiagnosing PMASince PMA presents like other diseases, including ALS, misdiagnosis can happen. When it does, treatment may be delayed, and problems with muscle wasting, movement, and mobility can all occur faster than they would if someone were undergoing proper treatment.
Misdiagnosing PMA
Since PMA presents like other diseases, including ALS, misdiagnosis can happen. When it does, treatment may be delayed, and problems with muscle wasting, movement, and mobility can all occur faster than they would if someone were undergoing proper treatment.
PMA is aprogressive disease, which means that it will continue to worsen over time. Since there is no cure, treatment is designed to slow down the damage to maintain a good quality of life for as long as possible. Some treatment options include:
Coping with PMA isn’t easy. When you receive a terminal diagnosis, it’s hard to think about anything else.
To maintain your quality of life, it’s important to establish positive coping practices while undergoing treatment. These might include:
Summary
Progressive muscular atrophy is a motor neuron disease that affects the muscles. People with PMA develop symptoms such as weakness, loss of muscle mass, and fatigue. The cause of the disease is unclear, and there is no cure.
Because of that, treatment options revolve around improving a person’s quality of life for their remaining years. While PMA is fatal, many people live with the disease for five or more years following their diagnosis.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Motor Neurone Disease Association.Progressive muscular atrophy (PMA).
Ayaz SB, Matee S, Gill ZA, Khan AA.The diagnostic dilemma of progressive muscular atrophy.J Coll Physicians Surg Pak.2015 Feb;25(2):149-50.
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