PROGRESSIVE MUSCULAR ATROPHY
LAMBERT M. SURHONE, MARIAM T. TENNOE, SUSAN F. HENSSONOW
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Progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) is a rare subtype of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or motor neurone disease (MND) which affects only the lower motor neurones.
PMA is thought to account for around 4% of all ALS/MND cases.
This is in contrast to the most common form of ALS/MND, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which affects both the upper and lower motor neurones, or another rare form of ALS/MND, primary lateral sclerosis, which affects only the upper motor neurones.
The distinction is important because PMA is associated with a better prognosis than classical ALS/MND.
Despite being rarer than ALS/MND, PMA was actually described earlier, when in 1850 French Neurologist Francois Aran described 11 cases which he termed atrophie musculaire progressive.
