Prevalence, incidence and carrier frequency of 5q–linked spinal muscular atrophy – a literature review

Spinal muscular atrophy linked to chromosome 5q (SMA) is a recessive, progressive, neuromuscular disorder caused by bi-allelic mutations in the SMN1 gene, resulting in motor neuron degeneration and variable presentation in relation to onset and severity. A prevalence of approximately 1–2 per 100,000 persons and incidence around 1 in 10,000 live births have been estimated with SMA type I accounting for around 60% of all cases. Since SMA is a...