Neuromuscular diseases are a large group of disorders that primarily disrupt the normal functioning of muscles and the nerves that control them, leading to muscle weakness, impaired movement, and sometimes progressive disability. This group of diseases can affect any part of the system responsible for voluntary muscle movement, including muscle fibers, peripheral nerves, motor neurons, the neuromuscular junction, and supporting structures like the plexus and nerve roots.
The main categories of neuromuscular diseases include:
- Myopathies: Diseases directly affecting muscle fibers, including muscular dystrophies such as Duchenne, Becker, Limb Girdle and many more.
- Motor neuron diseases: These involve progressive loss of upper or lower motor neurons, like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy.
- Neuropathies: Disorders affecting peripheral nerves, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, diabetic neuropathy, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
- Neuromuscular junction disorders: Conditions that impair the transmission between nerves and muscles, like myasthenia gravis and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome.
Symptoms and Examples
Common symptoms include muscle weakness, cramps, numbness, spasms, and impaired motor coordination. Some notable neuromuscular diseases include ALS, muscular dystrophies (DMD, BMD, FSHD), Pompe disease, myasthenia gravis, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.