Texas doctors begin screening newborns for rare disease
Spinal Muscular Atrophy kills more infants than any other genetic condition, but San Antonio hospitals offer a miracle treatment. Author: Matt Houston (KENS) Updated: 10:52 PM CDT June 3, 2021
SAN ANTONIO Beginning this week, doctors will screen every newborn in Texas for a rare disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA.
Most children born with the disease lack the gene responsible for creating proteins the body requires to perform basic motor skills. Some infants with SMA cannot hold up their heads, and most are unable to walk.
About one in 10,000 kids are born with the disease. No genetic condition kills more infants than SMA.